Mar 23, 2009 8:07 pm US/Eastern
Fake Utility Workers Strike LI With Burglary Spree
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
A burglary spree on Long Island has residents on alert, with the thieves posing as repairmen.
CBS 2 spoke exclusively Monday with some of the victims.
"He wanted to check my water," one victim said.
"He was a fast talker, and he was on his cell phone," her sister said.
The two senior citizen sisters from Nassau County, who asked not to be named, were just swindled by a couple of impersonators who are believed to be part of an emerging pattern: burglars dressed in fake uniforms preying on trusting homeowners.
"They took $400!" one sister says.
"And all of my jewelry," the other said.
"In the last few days, we've had this emerging pattern of people posing as utility workers, or water district personnel," Nassau County Det. Lt. Kevin Smith says. "Basically, they are scam artists – unlawfully entering homes, talking their way in, picking on our senior citizens."
The team of con artists consists of two or three partners – a sketch of one of the suspected impersonators has been released.
Police say homeowners have been victimized in Plainsview, Roslyn Heights, North Massapequa, and East Meadow.
"Her jewelry was gone, and her husband's jewelry was gone from the bedroom," a relative of some of the victims, says. "They even went to the basement."
In some cases, senior citizens are followed home from the bank. In others, the swindlers strike when legitimate water, sewer, telephone, or electrical workers are already in the neighborhood.
The victims say the con artists are believable, and are now left with horrible memories.
"He could have knocked her out, the one in the yard could have knocked me out," one of the elderly sisters says. "It's a terrible thing – now we're skeptical of opening the door for anyone!"
Nassau police say some homeowners are reticent to come forward, embarrassed that they fell for a scam. But investigators want to hear from anyone approached or victimized by the impersonating burglars.
Nassau County police say they believe that the con artists first struck on February 11 in Massapequa, and most recently in East Meadow this past weekend.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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