Monday, February 3, 2014

Sheriff's Office: Do Not Open Your Door to Strangers

There have been 3 cases in the past week that follow a similar pattern.  In each case an elderly victim is approached by a white male claiming to be with a utility company.  In the later cases the victims opened the door and while they were in the rear of the residence with the white male someone unknown burglarized the residence.


On 1/27/2014 at 1200 two unknown white males in an unknown model white pickup truck came to the residence of an 84 year old female.  One of the males came back later the same day in an unknown red car.  The male stated that he worked for Jenkins Construction and were laying pipe in the area and needed the elderly woman to sign some paperwork.

On 2/2/2014 at 1600 an unknown white male in a newer model burgundy Ford pickup truck came to the residence of a 72 year old female.  The male advised that he worked for Georgia Power and asked for the female to come outside.  The victim and the unknown male stood on the side of the residence for approximately 30 minutes talking about how Georgia Power would be installing underground electrical line beside her house.  When the victim went back into her residence she noticed that she had been burglarized (Jewelry and money were taken from her bedroom).  The suspect is described as a white male, 5’03”, 160lbs, short blonde hair, between 35 and 40 years of age, and driving a newer model burgundy Ford pickup truck.

On 2/2/2014 at 1730 an unknown white male in his twenties wearing blue jeans and a jacket knocked on the door of an 86 year old female.  Once to the door he advised that he worked for the water company.  The male escorted the victim to the back yard where he talked about identifying water lines for work.  When the female went back into her residence she later found that she had been burglarized (Jewelry was taken).

Make sure you know who you are dealing with before you open your door to strangers.  Businesses such as GA Power, Atlanta Gas Light, Comcast, etc. have information on their websites regarding their policies, procedures and uniform/ID requirements.
If you suspect a problem:

•Call the companies local office to verify ID
•Don’t allow the person inside your home
•Don’t go outside the house with the person
•Call dispatch at 706-821-1080 or in an emergency, call 911

Lt. Lewis Blanchard
Operations Division Manager
Richmond County Sheriff’s Office

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