If Manteno residents need some work done on their home or yard, there’s no scarcity of options. Some contractors will even knock on doors unsolicited.

That issue was discussed at Monday’s Manteno Village Board meeting during the Public Safety and Health Committee’s report. Mayor Annette LaMore said she even had someone knock on her door at night.

“Rondy, my husband, invited him in because it was so cold out, but he was looking to do some work for us,” she said. “And he wanted to do an inspection, and he was talking about treating our yard in the spring for mosquitoes.”

LaMore later contacted Police Chief Alan Swinford to see if the contractor was registered with the village, and he had registered with the village to conduct solicitations.

“We get quite a few calls to check on solicitors and make sure they are registered,” Swinford said. ”On occasion, we will find some that are not registered, and we’ll move them along, but those particular ones were registered.”

Swinford said those who are registered get an ID badge for the village. Once registered, police do a background check and post their pictures online so residents can compare them with the people at their door to ensure they are actually registered with the village.

“They are allowed to be out fairly late, [but] it is kind of unusual when they show up that late,” Swinford said.

Solicitors can be out until 9 p.m. in Manteno, according to village ordinance.

By state law, the contractors are allowed to solicit to do work within municipalities.

“We’re kind of restricted on who we can deny permits, so there’s quite a few of them out there,” Swinford said.

If residents are in doubt of the contractors who come to their doors asking to do “inspections,” they should call the police department’s nonemergency number at 815-929-4801.

“We’ll come and check them out,” Swinford said. “I wouldn’t want something happening because they thought they were legitimate. They apply through the village, and we take their pictures and fingerprint them and do a background check.”

Beware of scams

Also part of the public safety report, Manteno police officer Ben Elzinga warned residents about falling for scams via phone calls.

He said to never give out personal information over the phone, such as bank account numbers, Social Security numbers, passwords or one-time codes.

“If somebody asks for these, hang up,” he said. “Your banks, your Social Security – any government agencies, they’re not going to ask for this information over the phone or via email.”

Elzinga warned residents not to trust caller ID or email addresses. If one gets a spam call, send it to voicemail.

“Scammers can make them look real,” he said. “If you’re unsure, call the company back using a number that you already know.”

Elzinga added that scammers, posing as a government agency or business, will ask unsuspecting residents to go purchase gift cards to make payments to them.

“No government agency or actual legitimate company is going to be asking for payments via these gift cards,” Elzinga said. “Just remember, if anything feels wrong, you can always pause, verify and call somebody. Ask for help. They’re always there. Give us a call. If you’re unsure about it, we’ll be able to walk you through it.”