Decades ago, when someone rang a doorbell, the house’s occupants were excited to see who the visitor could be, but these days, if a doorbell rings, most people will remain quiet and still hoping that whoever is outside their home goes away. That’s because uninvited guests are typically solicitors or, in some cases, something even more sinister.
That seems to have been what happened to Kim Fleming of Texas, who put up a warning to others on Facebook after an incident at her door left her very disturbed. In the post, she described how someone recently knocked loudly on her front door, and while the sound alone frightened her, she felt something wasn’t right and didn’t answer. After more knocking, the person finally left and, 30 minutes later, Kim went out to see if they left a brochure or anything. Instead, she found a rubber band around her doorknob pressing down the lever on the handle that would keep the door open if she were to unlock it.
Freaked out, she called the police who explained that when the rubber band is in that position, once you unlatch the door, a bad guy can just push it and be in your home. In her post, Kim advises that people never open a door without knowing who is on the other side.
In the comments, Kim said there are reports of this type of break-in in Tatum, Texas as well as Bossier, Louisiana. However, the skeptics at Snopes did some digging and could not find any warnings issued by the Tatum Police Department or Bossier Sheriff Department alerting residents about rubber bands on doorknobs. Snopes also questioned why a would-be robber would use such a “conspicuous and inefficient” way to get into a home.
While Snopes ruled the story behind the warning about rubber bands around the doorknobs “unproven,” you probably should still follow Kim’s advice and not open your door for any strangers.
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