Village police warn about solicitor issues

MARBLEHEAD — Marblehead police recently warned people about multiple incidents of solicitation occurring in the village. Incident No. 1 On April 6, locals reported, "Young, college-age males have been in the Jamestown area, off West Main Street, who were representing themselves as agents of Frontier Cable Co., soliciting for Frontier Cable's new fiber optic services," according to a police statement. Residents reported these men having none of the following: • Credentials • Name tags • Solicitor's permit • Anything that shows they were legitimately working for Frontier "In some cases, they asked the residents to enter their information into the young men's cellphones," according to a department statement. "Officers, at one point, did locate the young men, and a copy of Marblehead's solicitation ordinance, along with a copy of the solicitation permit, was given to the team leader," it continued. "And after identifying them, they were instructed to leave the area and not return until they had obtained the proper permits. They complied." Incident No. 2 On April 8, another incident — involving what appears to be a different group of individuals — went door-to-door in the area, checking Frontier internet reception and claiming to be with a company called Diamond Door. "They were also asked to leave until they had the proper permits and identification," the department noted. Incident No. 3 On Tuesday, police received a report of two men in the same area, but they left the area in a blue Ford Flex before officers arrived. It's not known if these two men were suspects in earlier cases. Overall takeaway Police stressed the following to locals if they see anything strange involving solicitation. "If you observe or get a visit from anyone claiming to be from Frontier, they are required to have a permit from the Marblehead police and proper company credentials," the statement read. "The reports were forwarded to Frontier, and they replied back. They did not have anyone soliciting for them or any other company in our area." Contact, call or text, Marblehead police if you are approached by any of these solicitors at 419-635-5224.