Scammers burglarize senior citizens in Aurora
SUN TIMES MEDIA WIRE - Scammers have been lying their way into senior citizen’s homes and then burglarizing them in western suburban Aurora, according to police.
The scammers posed as someone needing to use a restroom and as a roof repairman, Aurora police said in a statement.
The latest scam targeted a 76-year-old former U.S. Marine, about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday in the 900 block of Mason Avenue, according to police.
After knocking on his door, a woman pushed the veteran aside and said she needed to use the bathroom, police said. Due to his health issues, the man did not follow the woman, and later learned she stole his wallet and cash.
The woman drove away in a blue SUV with lower front-end damage, police said.
The second scam involved a fake repairman who targeted a 71-year-old man in the 300 block of Zengle Avenue on Nov. 16, according to police.
The suspect knocked on the man’s front door and said his roof needed repairs, police said. The suspect talked the man into leading him to the basement and then the backyard.
When the fake repairman left, the man noticed his cash was missing, according to police, who said a second person probably entered the home while he was distracted and stole the money.
Police said the fake repairman may have driven a black pickup truck.
The scams in Aurora follow an episode in north suburban Evanston Tuesday morning, in which a man posing as a sewer repairman forced his way into an 82-year-old woman’s home and, with the help of three others, tied up the woman and robbed her.
The woman suffered only minor injuries and refused medical treatment, police said.
Anyone with information about the Aurora scams were asked to call detectives at (630) 256-5500.