This article is reproduced without permission under the fair use doctrine. Originally published online at http://www.kirotv.com/news/4473234/detail.html
Copyright 2005 by KIROTV.com
SAMMAMISH, Wash. -- Chances are they've come to your door, trying to sell you magazines. But who are these young adults and what's in it for them?
With an increase in crime, police want you to think twice before you answer the knock at the door.
They come from all over the country to go door to door in local neighborhoods. The workers get points for selling magazines and are promised rewards.
But their high-pressure tactics have citizens uncomfortable and cities cracking down.
"I just could not get him to leave," said Patty Nelson, a local resident.
"It's sort of this 'you owe me' because you've done well," said Lisa Shank.
Magazine sellers are canvassing neighborhoods, targeting residents, refusing to take "no" for an answer.
"I did feel scared because I didn't know what it was going to take for him to go away. I didn't want to buy those magazines," Nelson said.
"He had been dropped off early in the morning and had been in this neighborhood 10 or 11 hours," said Shank.
We wanted to see how these companies operate so we tracked down a sales crew staying at a motel in Renton. With out-of-state vans parked outside waiting to shuttle workers to a neighborhood near you, we watched employees getting ready to leave and observed what looks like two employees smoking marijuana. The same young men load up into a van and hit the highway.
We tried to follow them, but the van was going too fast. So instead we went back to the motel to talk to their employer.
Grande: "Just wondered if we could talk with you about…" Answer: "Not on camera."
After a few minutes, Belo Kellam, owner of Fidelity Reader Service from Florida, agreed to take us to his "office," a room at the motel. He does a lot of business in the Seattle area.
"Every year for the last 20 something years," he said.
He told us what the sellers are working towards.
"Their goal is to win a trip to Paris, London, Rome and to win cash awards up to $5,000," Kellam said.
We asked him about drug use.
"Absurd. It's crazy how can you do your job and make money if you're half looped," Kellam said.
While there's no evidence these workers have committed any crimes while on the job, police are warning residents.
"It's really been a problem here and we really want to warn people about opening their doors to people they don't know," Stacey Holland of the Redmond Police Department.
We've learned three employees working for Fidelity Reader Service are in jail in New Hampshire. According to court documents, the three men are charged with raping a woman after trying to sell her magazine subscriptions in March.
"It really concerns me. I've put myself and my kids in a dangerous situation by opening my door. And it makes me mad because I want to open my door," said Lisa Shank.
The employees are independent contractors.
Now many cities are requiring them to register first, but area police departments tell us many don't bother. Instead, they wait until someone calls the police on them, and then move to another area.
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Revision r1.1 - 06 Jun 2005 - 01:41 by EliMantel
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