Police Warn of Possible Scam Operations Aimed at Elderly

Gwinnett Police detectives are investigating two recent incidents, both involving elderly victims living in Peachtree Corners. Detectives say in both cases, the "scam" method was used and may be part of a larger trend.

The first reported incident occured just after Christmas on Dec. 28, the second on Jan. 7. "The suspects in both cases acted as if they knew the victims or had a valid reason to be there," stated Corporal Jake Smith, spokesman for the Gwinnett County Police Department.

In the first incident a white male knocked at the victim's door, an elderly female, at about 1:45 p.m., and spoke to the victim as if he knew her.  The police report said he claimed to be her old AJC newspaper delivery person and addressed her by name. The suspect hugged her and acted as if they had known each other for some time.

The victim felt the man was trying to gain entry into her home and told the man that her husband was at home and the man quickly left. He got into a copper colored vehicle driven by a second male and drove away. There was nothing stolen in this incident.

In the second incident, the victim was also an elderly female. An Hispanic male entered the victim's garage around 3:15 p.m. and rang the doorbell. When the victim answered, the man said he was there to install a fence in her backyard and had left a note earlier in the week that he would be there.

The man asked the victim to join him in the backyard where she spent several minutes with him. During that time, the man spoke on a walkie-talkie, first in English then in Spanish. After the last walkie-talkie conversation the man quickly walked to the front of the home and got into a champagne colored (or possibly light green) Ford F150 truck and drove away.

The victim later discovered that several pieces of her jewely had been stolen while she was outside with the man.

Detectives are investigating both cases and would like the public to be aware of the "scam" method of operation these suspects are using.

"Anyone who may have dealth with these suspects but has not filed a police report is asked to call detectives at 770-513-5300," stated Corporal Smith. "It is likely that these suspects are specifically targeting older females who they believe may be home alone."

Descriptions of the two suspects:

Suspect No. 1, white male
6' to 6'3", tall, average build
Blue eyes
Identified himself as "Michael Thompson"
Identified himself as a former AJC newspaper delivery person
Vehicle driven by a second male suspect, described as a copper colored, older model vehicle (unknown if a car or truck)

Suspect No. 2, Hispanic male
5'7" tall, 175 - 185 pounds
Clean shaven
Light skin tone
Wore blue jeans, a white long-sleeve crew neck shirt and a white baseball cap
Claimed he was present to work on a fence
Spoke on a walkie-talkie in English and Spanish
Vehicle described as a champagne colored Ford F150