(AURORA) Aurora Police are warning elderly residents about two attempted ruse burglaries in the last month.
The first incident occurred at 3:15 p.m. Sept. 4 in the 1100 block of Pleasant Terrace. The second was at 4:40 p.m. Sept. 15 in the 700 block of North Avenue, according to a statement from police.
In the first incident, a 92-year-old man said he was approached by a 55-year-old man who led him into his back yard telling him that he needed to take some measurements for work he was doing at a business next door, according to police.
The victim said he became suspicious after the suspect couldn’t answer several questions and began to walk back to his house. That’s when he noticed a second suspect, and both drove off in a white pickup.
When the man went back into his house, he noticed several interior rooms showed signs of someone going through them. Nothing was missing, but $200 in damage was done to the doorway of a locker, according to the statement.
Police examined video footage from a neighboring business and discovered there were four white male suspects driving a 2016 Chevrolet Silverado four-door with tinted windows, chrome wheels and a black toolbox in the bed.
On Sept. 15, an 88-year-old man and his 85-year-old wife answered their door to a man who led the woman out to the back yard offering tree trimming services. Two other men then entered the home, one of whom was trying to engage the 88-year-old man in conversation to distract him while the other man went upstairs, according to the statement.
When the man realized he was being burgled, he told the men he was going to call police. Both men then quickly left and all three got into a white pickup similar to the one described in the earlier burglary, according to the statement.
Nothing was taken from the home, the statement said.
Anyone with information should call police at (630) 256-5500 or Aurora Area Crime Stoppers at (630) 892-1000. Callers to Crime Stoppers are anonymous and qualify for a cash reward of up to $5,000.
