Sheriff's Office Police Warn Of Burglaries On Northwest Suburbs
(STMW) -- Cook County sheriff's police are warning northwest suburban residents about a string of "ruse" burglaries last month.
At least four incidents have been reported in unincorporated Cook County in which burglars pose as utility workers, landscapers or new neighbors to gain access to someone's home, according to a statement from the sheriff's office. The burglar then distracts the homeowners, who are often elderly, while a partner enters the home and takes cash and valuables.
The most recent burglary took place 12:40 p.m. Nov. 29 in the 1000 block of Huber Lane in unincorporated Glenview, sheriff's police said. Two men knocked on the door saying they were doing yard work for a neighbor. When the 84-year-old resident invited one of the men into her house for a glass of water, the other man took items from the home. She did not notice they were missing until after she asked them to leave.
On Nov. 12, a man knocked on the door about 3 p.m. of a 77-year-old man living in the 9000 block of North Greenwood in unincorporated Niles offering tree-trimming services, sheriff's police said. When the suspect began to talk on the phone in another language, the victim said he did not want the services. He noticed cash missing from the home the next day.
Similar burglaries have been reported in unincorporated Palatine and Roselle. The sheriff's office encourages residents to call agencies to verify employees who say they are doing work at their homes and not to let anyone unexpected into the house.
Anyone with information about these burglaries should call the Sheriff's Police Investigation Section at 708-865-4896.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2015. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
