Editor's note:  the following was submitted by Brown Co Sheriff John Merchant.

I have had several concerns from county residents lately regarding  individuals going door to door in our area.  

One resident told me that they were approached by an out of area painting contractor offering to paint their home.  They visited for a while and this person asked to use the bathroom.  After the individual left, the resident thought  they may have been missing a small amount of prescription medication from their medicine cabinet, however they weren't sure.  There was no paperwork or identification given to the resident by the contractor.  They realized that letting a stranger in their home probably wasn't a good idea.

One person stated they had a salesman  who asked to step inside their home and once inside, they tried pressuring her in to purchasing an item he was selling.  He only left after she told him she was calling law enforcement. Again, no business card or identification was given to the resident.

Another resident had a similar situation from a different person who was going door to door and needed to use the bathroom---and was very concerned afterwards, realizing that they really did not know this person and allowed them in to their home.

With the warmer weather we are seeing a lot more door to door activity, especially in the rural areas.  I am not suggesting that all people going door to door are scammers or doing something illegal, however, with the changing times--we cannot be too careful of who we are allowing in to our homes.  It is always a good idea to request identification from anyone coming to your home whether they are selling items, offering services or any other reason.  At the bare minimum they should be able to provide a business card representing themselves, company letterhead or similar.  They should really offer this in advance.

When vendors are going through the county, I request that they come to the sheriffs office and let me know who they are, what vehicles they are driving and the names of all people that will be in our area.  In addition, I request contact information to forward to residents if they have complaints about the tactics they are being subjected to by the individuals.

Unless you are sure of who you are dealing with, please do not allow these folks in your home.  

If you do have concerns, try to gather as much information as possible such as person identifiers, vehicle information and  licenses plate is great and call your local law enforcement. If you have any questions or concerns, please call.