Ryan Dertina and his wife Jenna knew something was weird about a note left on the front door of the home they recently purchased in Aurora.
The note was from "Metro Delivery." It asked them to call and enter a confirmation number. They got a similar note a few weeks before. They never saw who delivered it. No one had knocked on the door even though they were home.
"I was actually kind of shocked," Ryan said. "Why would I get something like this?"
Jenna says she thought it was strange because it had Ryan's name on it, and he didn't order anything.
A quick search proved the note was a scam.
It’s a story all too familiar to Denver's Better Business Bureau.
"The first thing they are going try and do is to try to call to be able to gather more information from you,” BBB Chief Revenue Officer Josh Hares said.
Hares says new homeowners are often targeted by companies trying to create and sell "sucker lists" to marketers. Those companies in turn use those list to sell products and services.
Hares say they’ll ask for an email address in order to make sure they can set up a time to deliver a package, but he adds it’s a “ruse” in order to be able to gather information.
We called the number and were told Metro Delivery wanted the information so they could deliver coupons to the homeowner.
The BBB says this happens over and over again.
The agency says the notes are a form of deceptive advertising, but are extremely hard to prove.
Jenna Dertina is so glad her husband didn’t call.
"The last thing I want is more people harassing me through mail, phone calls… I don’t want it,” she said.
