Over the past few days, two different houseless people have randomly shown up at my house asking weird, unclear questions. This is completely out of the ordinary for where I live.
It started a few days ago when my roommate (27M) was leaving the house late at night, around 10:30 pm. He saw a strange man in our driveway, who started asking bizarre questions like, “How many people live here?” and “How many people are home?” The weirdest one was, “How many people are home that don’t live here?” Then the man claimed he had been to our house before and needed to come inside, saying he had left something like a coin or USB under the carpet. His story kept changing, and he was very insistent about coming inside. My roommate said no, but this guy would not leave the porch, even after we closed and locked the door. We ended up calling the police, but they took forever to show up and were no help.
Later, we heard the man moaning and saw him crawling on all fours around the neighborhood, then back onto our porch like something out of a horror movie. After about an hour, he finally left, but only after leaving a strange package on our porch. The package turned out to be an opened box of mail belonging to a neighbor four blocks away. The police showed up after he left and didn’t do much.
Then, just three days later, another houseless man knocked on our door at 11 pm. He asked my roommate if this was the “computer house” and said he got our address from Venmo, which is terrifying. Nothing like this has ever happened in the three years I’ve lived here, and suddenly it’s happening back-to-back. Apparently, the house used to be a bit of a trap house before we moved in, but we’ve never had problems like this before.
I’m really concerned that something shady is going on—whether our address is leaked, or maybe someone is paying people to harass us. I genuinely need advice because this situation is making my home feel unsafe. Any help would be appreciated.
Get a Doorbell Cam and speak to anyone only through that, where you can record the interaction. If you don’t have one, record on your phone through the door. But again, do not open the door.
Go to the police station and file a report about both encounters. If anything else happens, file another report with the recording. Call the police and tell them you fear for your safety. Stress that you may have to defend yourself if it continues. That will push them to take you seriously and act faster.
@Fintan
Just be aware, saying you may defend yourself to a dispatcher could be used against you if things go south. It’s better to just emphasize that you’re in immediate danger and fear for your life without saying what you’re going to do.
@Fintan
Yes, all of this. You can get Wyze cameras on Amazon for $19 if you have Prime, and they’re easy to install. Also, put up motion-activated lights around your house to help deter anyone.
Keep a can of wasp spray inside by the door—it works like pepper spray but has a longer range. Also, if possible, text your roommates when you’re close to home so they can keep an eye on you as you come in.
Hopefully, this is just a weird coincidence, but stay safe, and let us know if anything else happens!
Skyler said: @Kai
Wasp spray? Seriously? Just buy a gun if you’re that concerned about safety.
Yeah, avoiding a firearm seems silly when your safety is on the line. Lock the doors, retreat inside, and if they still try to come in, protect yourself.
First of all, why on earth are you even cracking the door for these people? If I don’t know who’s knocking, I’m not answering it. No one should just show up unannounced without calling first.
Second, it sounds like people who used to come to your house are just getting out of jail and are looking for their old hangout.
@Van
Something similar happened in my neighborhood. It used to be a rough area with a lot of drug activity, but they rebuilt everything and now it’s a nice place. Still, every so often, someone from the old days gets out of prison and shows up, not realizing things have changed.
Phoenix said:
Sometimes you need to tell the trespasser straight up, ‘You’re trespassing,’ and do it in front of the police.
Unfortunately, the police didn’t even get out of the car to talk to us. They stayed for ten minutes and left. We told the guy he was trespassing, but it didn’t seem to phase him at all.
@Vega
Next time, call the police and say, ‘I’m in fear for my life and may need to defend myself.’ Even if you don’t own a gun, the threat of an altercation will make them respond faster. That first guy sounds dangerous.
Your local law enforcement clearly isn’t helping much. Your safety is ultimately in your own hands. Make sure you and your roommates are trained with whatever self-defense tools you have, whether that’s pepper spray, a bat, or something more serious.
This is terrifying. Sounds like some mental illness at play, but don’t engage with these people at all. Keep hounding the police and be prepared to defend yourself if anyone tries to get inside.
Consider hiring a security agency. If another person shows up, tell them to leave through the doorbell camera, and if they don’t, call the agency. They usually respond faster than the police and can enforce trespassing laws.
Look up hobo symbols and mark a couple on your house. These symbols are used by some people as a way of communicating which places to avoid. It might be a good deterrent.
Also, make sure you’re prepared with pepper spray or something similar.