Scam and Home Invasion 12 Incidents in the North Area

From Cindy, the North Division's crime prevention specialist:

I would like to take a moment to inform you of a recent scam that is occurring in the North Division. To date there have been at least 12 reported incidents and I suspect there may be additional victims that have not reported it. If you or anybody you know have been approached or victimized by these suspects please don’t hesitate to contact the Sheriff’s Department at 916-874-5115.

I have attached a flyer that explains the suspects’ method of this scam. Please take the time to review it and share it with your friends, family and neighbors that reside in the community.

I would like to remind everybody to always be aware and remember the following:

* Use deadbolts and keep exterior doors locked at all times, even when you
are at home
* NEVER let stranger in your home under any circumstances
* Avoid keeping large amounts of cash in your home unprotected
* Be aware of people and vehicles in your neighborhood and around your home
* Be wary of strangers; trust your instincts
* Be skeptical of any proposal that sounds to good to be true
* Acknowledge strangers at your door while keeping the door closed and locked
* Get to know your neighbors and keep their phone numbers handy for emergencies
* Be especially skeptical of:

o Get rich quick schemes
o Requests to exchange money or make change
o Offers to make or help you with home repairs
o Door-to-door schemes
o Requests to use your phone or restroom

If you believe you have been victim of fraud or been scammed call the Sheriff’s Department immediately. You may be embarrassed because you were tricked but your information is vital in catching these con artists and preventing others from being victimized

The flyer:

SCAM TARGETING ELDERLY CITIZENS IN SHERIFF’S NORTH DIVISION

Between May 13 and July 2, 2010 there have 12 reported incidents of scams that are all very similar and have resulted in theft and residential burglary.

The general perimeter where these crimes have occurred is Whitney Avenue to Greenback Lane and Watt Avenue to San Juan Avenue.

The common themes for these incidents are as follows:

One to four suspects contact an elderly person at their residence; discuss a broken or damaged fence, a broken buried water pipe, or trees that require trimming. Thus far, the age of the victims has ranged from 73 to 96. The suspect will offer the victim a folded $100 bill in exchange for $50 for the repair or labor cost (the $100 bill has not been passed) and eventually a seen or unseen suspect enters the victim’s home and steals money. The most recent event involved the theft of firearms, jewelry, and a jewelry box.

A suspect has returned to a victim’s home wherein he posed as an undercover officer investigating the previous crime and subsequently stole money from within the residence. In a separate incident a suspect returned shortly after the crime scene investigator concluded their investigation. The suspect forcibly entered the home, shoved the elderly victim and her mentally disabled daughter before he stole their money.

If you are approached at your home in this manner, please call 911 as soon as possible.

Daylight Burglary on the 2800 Block of Becerra Way

Kim writes:

I am on Becerra Way - was broken into on July 16, between 7 am and 4:30 pm. They broke down two doors and took a black duffle bag, digital camera, ipod, a took box with tools, jewelry and two little wooden bar stools (weird). I guess I will be installing an alarm.

Remember to watch for suspicious activity in your area.

"Need Gas" con--potential for home invasion

From Lynn on July 5th:

At about 1:00 PM today (July 5), I had my front door open (and locked) on the Eastern side of Duran Circle, when a nice Gold Metallic medium sized truck pulled up in front and began honking his horn to get me to come outside. A man approximately in his 40s was waving "hi" at me like he was an old friend and had a light-brown complexed woman with blond hair with him. He wanted to know if my husband was home, and when he would be back (I'm widowed). He then began telling me he was the grandson of "Rose" down the street (and pointed to the house where an senior male adult does reside with his wife) and that her husband had a respiratory attack last night, had to be taken to Davis Hospital, and then was transferred to Santa Rosa. He wanted gas money to get to Santa Rosa. He was telling me Santa Rosa had special equipment he needed that Davis didn't have. When I refused him, he had that was alright, and pointed down to Larry's house, and said "Paul" would help him out. I called Larry, and said there weren't any "Paul"s around his house or a Gold Metallic truck outside.

Please pass this to the neighborhood Alert list - BOLO! Larry suggested I contact you to put out an alert.

Lynn, another incident, of the same type (ish) occured on Villa Vista. on Tuesday, July 6th. The vehicle was a smaller red pickup and was occupied by a short stocky male with black hair and mustache, and in his 40's. In both cases the individuals tried to convince the intended victims that they knew someone local and requested a favor or assistance.

Skunk abroad during daylight hours

Sunday morning around 11:00 AM, neighbors reported a skunk acting out of character on the 2500 block of Catalina. Skunks are nocturnal, but this one was abroad in the morning, walking in circles and seemed disoriented. Sac county animal control was called, but they were closed. Sac city animal control was called, and they provided a phone number to county animal control, but that was closed. An undisclosed person was called and took care of the problem. A disoriented skunk about during the day may have rabies. While this one may have been sick, elderly or injured, it is a good reminder to be careful in similar situations.

Battery Charger Taken

From Stephani:

Hi Neighbors,

My husband was working on the RV access side of our yard on the 2800 block of Avalon and mistakenly left out a quality battery charger. He realized this within 10 minutes but it was already gone. If you or a neighbor picked up this item could you please return it (if you have the battery charger, naturally you know where you picked it up, but if you've forgotten e-mail an administrator and we'll prompt your memory--it's the same house where the fence was vandalized). We understand that some people leave items (treasures) for others to take as needed but this was not one of those times. Please feel free to leave on our porch, we would be so grateful.

Scam at Rite Aid

From Chuck:

I visited the Rite Aid, once yesterday and again today. On both occasions, I was approached by a black male in his late teens/early twenties, (each time it was a different person, but the same basic description). The first time the individual said he was raising money for an Elk Grove basketball team, and showed me a piece of folded paper with a name and number on it. The name was Patricia, and the number was ***-**** (Patricia probably doesn't need her number openly published). I told the individual I would give Patricia a call, and walked into the store. Patricia, who answered the phone told me that it was a scam, and to call the police. I informed an employee, and she went outside but the individual had left. I also called the sheriff, but they said that if he was gone, there was nothing they could do. Today when I encountered the different individual, I told him that he should leave before I called the sheriff, which he did. The piece of paper had 6-7 names and phone numbers, apparently from people who have already "contributed."

Be aware and do not fall for this.

Arson (Marilona / Maryal)

Some time during the night of 3-4 of June, someone set fire to one of the "doggy poop bag" stations located near Del Paso Manor elementary school. This is the second such incident in the past several months. If anyone has information please contact the Sheriff's Department.