Elderly Greenwich Women Targeted by Phony Workmen

In the wake of two more cases of men posing as workmen at the doors of elderly Greenwich women, Greenwich Police are asking residents to be vigilant and cautious before allowing anyone into their homes.

On Monday, an 86-year-old North Water Street woman allowed a man posing as a water company employee into her home, according to Lt. Kraig Gray. The woman didn’t ask for or was shown any company identification, Gray said. The man, described as a 50-year-old white male with a dark complexion, convinced the woman to follow him to the basement to perform some utility tests.

“He said he needed to go back upstairs and that she remain in the basement. After several minutes she realized something was wrong and went back upstairs and found her bedroom ransacked and her jewelry missing,” Gray said.

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Also reported on July 27 was the theft of a “few hundred dollars” from the purse of a Byram Road woman who allowed a man claiming to be a man working for a neighbor and was interested in performing landscaping work for the victim.

The 85-year-old victim had the man follow her into her backyard, leaving a house door open. After the man left, she went back inside the home to find that her purse had been rifled through and hundreds of dollars in cash were missing, according to Gray. The incident occurred on Saturday, July 25 but the woman was embarrassed and waited until July 27 to report the theft, Gray said.

On July 16, an elderly Cos Cob woman allowed a man posing as a water company worker into her home but made him leave after she became suspicious.

“It certainly appears they are targeting elderly women,” Gray said. “All utility workers are required to carry their company ID. They expect to be challenged by residents. Residents should challenge utility workers and be prepared to make a call (to the utility to verify the ID),” Gray said.

“These are property crimes, not crimes against a person. Just don’t panic. Do what it takes to protect yourself. Be smart about it. Don’t open the door,” Gray said.

“If they won’t show ID, please call the Greenwich Police Department immediately and we will come and investigate,” Gray added.

Photo credit: Barbara Heins.