Folks old enough to remember TV and film actor Red Skelton, as an amiable door-to-door salesman, need to know that the guy at your door today may not be so harmless or innocent.

South County seniors have been targeted by a team of "rogue" vacuum cleaner sales people. According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), the sales operatives pose as authorized dealers of The Kirby Company. The apparent scheme involves getting seniors to pay premium prices for old, often malfunctioning vacuums.

The scam has surfaced in other parts of the country this year, but in recent weeks has been reported in the Sunset Hills area, South County and in the Eureka area.