“We’ve had a couple of ruse burglaries here in Naperville, two specifically in February. What they will typically do is target elderly residents, and they will pose as city workers, utility workers, contractors, and come to the house and tell you they need to do work either in your house or they need you to come out and look at the driveway or look at the roof. And while they are distracting you, either inside and isolated in a room or outside and isolated away from the front door, a second person will go inside and burglarize the home,” said Ann Quigley, property crimes detective at the Naperville Police Department.
Recent Ruse Burglaries
In February there were two such crimes: one on the 700 block of West Jefferson Avenue, and the other on the 1300 block of Soper Court.
The suspect in the Jefferson avenue incident is described as a 35-year-old man, possibly Hispanic, with a thin mustache, and wearing glasses and a navy blue safety vest.
The Soper Court suspect is a 50-60 year old white male, with a stocky build and gray goatee.
Staying Vigilant
Police remind residents that if you aren’t sure who is at your door, don’t open it, and that you should check the credentials of the person at your door with the company they say they are from.
“City employees will always have the city logos on their ID’s, anything with a blank just picture and a name, I would question. The homeowner has the ultimate power, and usually if you call to say you’re going to question it, or even call the police, they typically leave in a hurry,” said Quigley
If you’ve been a victim of ruse burglary, call 9-1-1.
Naperville News 17’s Ryan Skryd reports
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