Phony repairmen steal from 89-year old Roseville woman

An 89-year-old Roseville woman recently had a safe stolen from her home after she let two phony “repairmen” inside.

Between 4:45 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Sunday, two men knocked on the door of the Sierra Gardens-area resident and told her they were there to check for cracks in the ceiling.  One of the men went inside the residence, while the other man chatted with the resident in the garage. After the men left, the resident discovered that her safe, containing mostly personal paperwork, was missing from a bedroom.

A witness reported there may have been three suspects; the two who contacted the elderly woman, and a third man who waited outside in a new-looking red Chevrolet pickup with custom chrome rims. The witness thought the truck might also have had flames painted on the front.

All three suspects were described as Hispanic males in their 20s or 30s.  The pickup driver had a shaved head, a stocky build, and smoked a cigar. The other two had medium builds. One wore a tan shirt, and the other wore a light-colored baseball cap.

Residents are reminded:

    * Do not let strangers into your home
    * Be cautious about anyone who comes to your home claiming to be a repair worker or utility worker, if you haven’t reported a problem or requested service.
    * Do not pay with cash
    * Do not accept on-the-spot offers from, or allow “drive-by” repair workers into your home. Reputable workers will provide identification, references, and a contractor’s license number, and will agree to come back later after you have checked them out.