Harmless Students Might Appear on Your Doorstep, Billings

Stranger danger is very real in Billings. Not a day passes that I don't see a post on local social media gossip pages where someone has a weirdo creeping on their porch, lurking around in the alley, or knocking on their door. It's not confined to shady neighborhoods either. From the Heights to the West End, sketchy characters can seem to be popping up anywhere.

It's a tough time to be a door-to-door salesperson.

Most of us simply won't open the door nowadays when a random person shows up on our doorstep. Yes, that random person on your stoop is probably just a roofing salesman, a realtor, a solar company solicitor, a political canvasser, OR (nervous thoughts in the back of your head)... it could be someone scoping out your place or looking for trouble.

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Harmless foreign college students are in Billings.

The Billings Police Department shared a photo and details on Wednesday (6/5) about a small group of international college students who are in Billings on a summer internship program. The half-dozen students are from Estonia.

As a courtesy, the group of students stopped by City Hall to let officials know that they would be going door-to-door selling educational books and study materials for youth.

Where in the world is Estonia?

Estonia is a tiny country on the Baltic Sea, south of Finland and north of Latvia, with Russia at its eastern border. It's a fraction of the size of Montana, with 11.2 million acres (Montana has 94.1 million), and a population of around 1.3 million. Estonia was occupied by Russia from 1940 to 1991.

The materials the students are selling are legit.

Everyone worries about scams, but you can rest assured that the students are selling books and educational materials and not just running off with your money. Former customers mentioned on social media that the books are high quality. A friend worked for the same company when he went to school at MSU, adding "It is an amazing company and experience, to say the least!"