Locals have been passing out flyers in the last few weeks that consumers and advocates say are not what they seem, according to a story in The Queens Courier.

 The flyers advise residents that this is their second notice that the company is “holding an item of merchandise for you” and provides a four-digit reference number. Homeowners are advised to “call for delivery information” as “the merchandise is already pre-paid however, all merchandise must be claimed by the Special Notice Date.”

When one calls, however, it is actually a sales pitch for carpet cleaning services. The caller is offered either a free bottle of cleaning solution or one free carpet cleaning visit.

In exchange, the customer must refer others to the company’s services.

Claire Rosenzweig, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau New York, said consumers should be careful with these sorts of pitches. With carpet cleaning services especially, she said, a homeowner should be the one seeking out the service, and not the other way.

“When you’re hiring somebody to come into your home and clean your carpet,” she said, “you should be the initiator.”

Read the complete story here.