Police Bust 2 Scam Artists Who Invaded Shorewood

SHOREWOOD, IL - The Shorewood Police Department has arrested Sophia Johns, 28, of Burbank and Rachel Tan of Marietta, Georgia on felony theft by deception charges. Police say the mother and daughter are scam artists who may have victimized other people in the Joliet area with their false sob story about having lost their house and all their belongings to a fire.

Shorewood's Deputy Chief of Police Jason Barten told Patch on Tuesday afternoon that the pair's scam "is very well-rehearsed" and it comes off as a "very believable" story. In this case, they targeted an older man at a Shorewood grocery store, Barten said.

Tan and Johns claimed their house burned down in a horrible fire. They found one kindhearted older man in Shorewood who felt sorry for them. The victim who is in her 70s, police reports show, gave the pair a "small sum of money and his telephone number in case further assistance was needed."

The man was nearly bilked out of $5,000 in a three-day period, police said.

Johns and Tan called the man numerous times within the initial 24 hours of their enconter, police said. Why? Because Johns and Tan wanted the man to give them even more money.

Not realizing these were a couple of ruthless con artists, the man from Shorewood went out and got the women more money, police reports suggest.

According to Shorewood Police, "with each request for assistance, the amount of money required increased. The Shorewood Police Department became aware of the incident after the victim's adult child contacted us concerned the victim may be a victim of theft or financial exploitation of the elderly."

Here's how the Shorewood Police busted these two suspected con artists.

On Monday, police learned another meeting to give Johns and Tan money was set up.

"Officers made contact with the pair and eventually determined all the information provided to the victim was indeed false," reports state.

The pair is now staying in the Will County Jail and were expected to go before a judge on Tuesday afternoon to have their bail set.

Barten suggests that anybody else who was approached and victimized by the mother and daughter should call their local police departments.

If Tan and Johns approached other potential victims in Shorewood, Barten said, people can call the Shorewood Police Department at 815-725-4636.

Main mugshot is Sophia Johns of Burbank