Door-to-door chocolate bar scam reported in Niagara Falls ON

A reader from Niagara Falls ON has responded to Ed.'s note appended to "Help Kids Canada - a scam or only half a scam?", reposted here on September 3rd. He writes:

Funny you should mention that! It's been years since I was button-holed at the mall or at my front door by a waif selling chocolate bars, but today I was awakened from my afternoon nap by the insistent (three times!) ring of the door bell. 

No, it wasn't the Avon lady, but a young woman -- mid- to late twenties, I'd say -- wearing long pants and a jacket, rather warm for the weather. "Hello, I'm Hanna, from the neighbourhood," she said, with a South American accent. "My sister broke her violin and I'm selling chocolate bars to help her."

She then opened the zipper on a canvas bag to show a couple of dozen of the familiar long chocolate, the same as I remembered seeing before. Still half-asleep, I didn't have the presence of mind to ask to see the product, or ask any questions. I just closed the door in her face. Yeah, I'm rude when you wake me up!

Thinking about it now, I'd give odds that this is the same old scam that's been on the go for years. As Pierre Berton wrote in The Big Sell, they sell the story, not the product, to appeal to good-hearted people who wouldn't refuse to support a charity. Too bad it's not a real charity.

Ed. found this photo (and many like it) on the Net and e-mailed it to our reader who confirms that the chcocalate bars he saw were long and thin, like these.

Have any other readers had similar experiences recently? Click on the headline to open the comments window and let us know about it.