Cook County Sheriff’s Police are investigating a suspected ruse burglary that occurred in unincorporated Des Plaines, Sheriff Thomas J. Dart announced today.
At approximately 4:15 p.m. on Dec. 8, a man rang the doorbell and knocked on the door of a residence in the 9600 block of Reding Circle. When the 92-year-old resident answered the door, the man entered her home and told her there was an emergency electrical problem at her home.
The man — who was approximately 5’10” tall with a crew cut hair style, a heavy build and wore a gray winter jacket — had the victim follow him to the kitchen area, away from the front door. The man had a two-way communication device and used it to speak to another person – believed to be a second offender — in another language while in the home. Approximately five minutes later, the man left the home and drove away in a cream colored SUV.
The woman later discovered that jewelry had been taken. She did not see anyone else enter her home.
Sheriff’s Police believe the woman was the victim of a ruse burglary, in which one offender or offenders pretend to be workers or neighbors and distract residents by taking them to another part of the property. While the victims are distracted, another offender or multiple offenders enter the home to take cash and valuables.
Sheriff Dart offers the following ruse burglary prevention tips:
- Do not let anyone you are not expecting into your home.
- Talk through the door.
- If the person says he or she is utility or company employee, call that agency to verify that an employee has legitimate business at your home. Do not use the phone number the person at the door gives you for their agency.
- Call 9-1-1 immediately if you encounter anyone suspicious.
Sheriff Dart also asks anyone with information regarding this burglary to call the Sheriff’s Police Investigations Section at 708-865-4896