EVANSTON, IL - The Evanston Police Department advises community members to be cautious of door-to-door solicitations from energy suppliers and those offering home services.

A solicitor can make a resident uncomfortable by pressuring them to buy a product or to sign up for a service. Solicitations disguised as an offer for handyman or automotive services can be a ruse burglary.

The community has expressed concerns about unwanted solicitors and since March 1, 2019, the Evanston Police Department has investigated four ruse burglary incidents. In addition, several residents have recently reported receiving misleading solicitations from electricity suppliers offering to "correct their bill," or falsely claiming to be the City's electricity supplier. The Evanston Police Department provides the following tips that will simultaneously help with dealing with unwanted solicitors and protect against ruse burglars:  

• You are not obligated to hear a solicitor's sales pitch. Inform them you are not interested.
• Advise unwanted solicitors to leave your property. If they do not comply, call the police. If they remain on your property, they could be arrested for trespassing.
• Don't let unwanted solicitors in your house.
• Don't give unwanted solicitors any financial statements or bills.
• Beware of solicitors that my be accompanied by other subjects. 

Evanston has an ordinance regulating soliciting. The hours when solicitation is permitted are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Soliciting is not allowed on Sundays or on state or national holidays. Residents may also post a "No Solicitation" sign to deter unwanted visits. 

Residents who wish to report suspicious, aggressive or misleading solicitations should call the Evanston Police Department’s non-emergency number at 847-866-5000. If you believe the solicitation has risen to the level of criminal activity or you are in fear call 911.

Residents are reminded that representatives of the City of Evanston, the City’s electricity supplier or ComEd will never visit or call customers to request their account numbers, electric bills, or any other personal information.  More information about the City's Community Choice Electricity Aggregation program can be found at cityofevanston.org/cca.

For more information, please call/text 847-448-4311. For convenience, residents may simply dial 3-1-1 in Evanston.