A Casper man says he's fed up with aggressive solicitors knocking on his door and trying to sell him things he doesn't want, especially when they won't take "no" for an answer.
“I had to shut the door in his face for him to walk away,” Matthew Lamotte told Cowboy State Daily about a recent encounter.
Lamotte, who runs a local Rants and Raves Facebook page, posted about the issue after another resident sent him a story resembling his own recent encounter.
The message described two young men interrupting dinner in the Wolf Creek neighborhood behind the west-side Walmart. They were selling magazines for “points” and repeatedly talked about trying to be “winners,” the resident wrote.
“I told them no and I don’t carry cash and they were HIGH PRESSURE wanting me to go take cash out of the ATM!” the message read.
Across town near Casper College, Karen Jones was confronted by another solicitor with a similar pitch: Buying magazines would help the woman earn points.
If Jones didn’t want the magazines, the woman offered a donation option she claimed would go to someone in the community.
Both encounters left people with questions about who’s selling these subscriptions and what, exactly, the salespeople stand to win with these mysterious “points."
Asked whether any magazine sales companies or their representatives have active solicitation permits to operate in Casper, city licensing specialist Carla Mills-Laatsch said, “None at this time.”
Casper Police Department spokesperson Rebecka Ladd said the department is gathering information on reported activity of door-to-door salespeople making the rounds around the city.
She could not confirm before publication whether police have been called about soliciting incidents, but said people should be cautious of high-pressure pitches and demands for immediate payment.
One More Pitch
Lamotte was in his room when his sister heard a knock and went to see who was outside.
By the time he opened the door, two men had started walking away. Then they turned back, and one approached with a laminated sales sheet, Lamotte said.
The man described a contest involving magazine subscriptions. Lamotte understood that more sales would improve the man’s chances of winning, although he could not explain precisely how the contest worked.
A Ring doorbell camera captured part of the exchange, which includes Lamotte saying, "I'm not interested in any magazines or anything.”
Instead of leaving, the seller continues his pitch.
Lamotte interrupts to say, "I'm just gonna ..." and then motioned with his hand that he was done talking before going back inside and shutting the door. The seller then walks away.
Lamotte did not get a copy of the sales sheet. He said the persistence concerned him, particularly when he thought about someone approaching his household while he was away or a child answering the door.
“I don’t know who these people are,” he said.
Lamotte acknowledged that there are legitimate businesses that sell door to door. His objection is the obnoxious and aggressive tactics of continuing to try to make a sale after being told “no."
“As soon as someone says they’re not interested, then they’re not interested,” he said.
A Different Doorstep
Jones said the young woman who came to her home was friendly, introduced herself and asked Jones’ name. This was last Tuesday. She also carried a laminated flyer and explained that she earned points through sales.
“She didn’t really say where she was from. She didn’t say what they won,” Jones said.
When the conversation turned to donating rather than receiving magazines herself, Jones said the seller opened a small folder resembling the kind used to present restaurant bills. Inside were a $50 bill and a couple of $20 bills.
Jones interpreted the visible cash as an effort to reassure her that other people had paid.
Jones declined, and she said the woman accepted her answer. The seller left with her materials and did not provide a business card.
"It doesn't hurt my feelings to tell you no," Jones told Cowboy State Daily, explaining that she has seen enough to know when something doesn't feel right.
Her own parents regularly call to ask whether an unexpected call or request is legitimate, she said. Her concern is protecting vulnerable people, especially older adults, from potential scams that could cost them their life savings.
“I think that it takes a whole community to keep ourselves safe,” Jones said.
'Residents Should Be Cautious'
The city of Casper's licensing office doesn't have any active permits for door-to-door magazine sellers.
An unsolicited salesperson permit requires a brick-and-mortar storefront and is valid for one year, said Mills-Laatsch. An applicant without a storefront may qualify for an itinerant merchant permit, which allows no more than 10 days of operation per calendar year. Those days do not have to be consecutive.
Sellers must carry a permit or be able to access and display it upon request, she said.
Residents can verify a permit by calling the city’s licensing office at 307-235-7568 with the company’s name and the solicitor’s name.
Mills-Laatsch pointed to Casper’s solicitation ordinance, which prohibits operating without the license, entering residential property posted with a sign prohibiting solicitation, and continuing a sales pitch after someone declines or asks the seller to leave.
Ladd reiterated those restrictions and encouraged residents to independently verify a seller’s identity and company before buying anything or giving any personal or financial information.
“Residents should be cautious of high-pressure sales tactics, demands for an immediate decision or payment, scare tactics, or unusual payment requests such as gift cards, wire transfers or cryptocurrency,” she said. “These can all be warning signs of a potential scam.”
Were Police Called?
Lamotte said police were called about his encounter, which characterized the activity as a scam.
Mills-Laatsch said her office had received no recent complaints about the matter and reported that neither police nor Casper Code Enforcement had received complaints.
In the meantime, she urged residents to avoid escalating an unwanted encounter.
“If someone refuses to leave, residents should avoid further confrontation,” she said. “Go inside and secure their home."
People should call 911 for an emergency or immediate safety concern. Suspicious activity that is not an emergency can be reported to the Casper-Natrona County Public Safety Communications Center.
Descriptions of the seller, the company they claim to represent, vehicle information or license plates, direction of travel and available security footage can help officers, she said.
“Residents should not put themselves at risk to gather that information,” she added.
Earlier Warnings
Casper police have warned about suspicious doorstep sales before.
In 2019, the CPD issued an advisory after reports of suspicious salespeople. Police urged residents to verify licenses and businesses and contact the department if sellers refused to leave or returned after being told to go.
Magazine subscription pitches have also drawn national consumer warnings.
The National Consumers League has described schemes in which young sellers invoke charities, school trips or other worthy causes, but customers pay for subscriptions that never arrive.
“Legitimate companies will send you the details upfront and never insist that you act immediately,” the organization reported.
Wyoming has also taken action against deceptive subscription businesses.
In May 2021, Wyoming and Colorado announced a $1 million settlement with two companies accused of mailing overpriced subscription offers disguised as renewal notices.
Officials said the mailers drew hundreds of complaints, largely from people older than 60.
For Lamotte, who acknowledged that legitimate businesses sell door to door, the expectation is simple: A refusal should end the pitch.
“It doesn’t matter what you’re selling,” he said. “Walk away.”
Kolby Fedore can be reached at kolby@cowboystatedaily.com.
