Home Alarm Systems and Scams

Quite recently, the Texas Department of Public Safety issued an advisory for homeowners to exercise caution when purchasing any type of security system for their homes or business offices. The advisory was borne out of the rising incidence of homeowners in major Texas cities falling prey to bogus security companies passing themselves off as state-licensed security installers.

Public safety officials further advised homeowners to ask for the security company’s license number and require that its personnel present a state-issued ID prior to being allowed access to the premises. According to officials, both the installer and the salesperson should be able to present an ID card issued by the state’s public authority. Homeowners are also warned against accepting a manufacturer’s ID or company ID as proof of identification, seeing that these can be easily falsified and would indicate a scam.

Like any other scams, security system scams could feature alarms or security devices that actually work to some extent to give it some semblance of genuineness. For one, the system might work for a couple of days then breaks down suddenly. When the homeowner calls for technical assistance or a refund, he might be surprised that unknown to him, the company does not really exist.

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Getting a monitored security system from these unlicensed or worse, bogus companies also opens up the homeowner to bigger problems. Since a monitored system is supposed to keep you and your home safe 24/7, getting the system from a bogus company might not guarantee that your home’s safety is actually being monitored as it should be.

In the case of a licensed security company, if an alarm is set off, dispatchers would immediately try to verify with you if there really is an emergency. If you and your family happen to be out of town, local authorities would be notified at once to respond to the emergency. You are not guaranteed to get the same service from an unlicensed security company.

Therefore, when getting a security system installed, you are much better off when you go with a company that is well known in the security industry. They might cost a bit more than a bogus company would charge, but you are assured that the job will be performed by highly skilled professionals. Just make sure to check the state-issued identification cards of even those posing as installers from a reputable company. It is always better to be safe than sorry.