Police Warn Residents About Burglars Posing as Utility Workers and Salespeople (PHOTOS)

Montgomery County Police detectives are investigating three distraction burglaries where suspects targeted seniors in Rockville, Kensington and Silver Spring areas.

PHOTO | MCPD

According to police, suspects posed as utility workers on two occasions on May 26 and June 4. On a third burglary, on June 12, police said a suspect pretended to be a salesperson to steal credit cards.

The first two burglaries are related, police said.

According to police, detectives are also investigating a distraction burglary where suspects posed as salespeople claiming to be selling and installing pipes.

Burglary 1:

On May 26, at approximately 4:30 p.m., a 78-year-old victim was working in the backyard of her residence- in the 10000 block of Forest Grove Drive in Silver Spring- when a woman approached her and discussed installing new pipes in the home. According to police, the female suspect left in a hurry. It was not until the next day that the victim realized that her credit cards had been stolen from her home. The credit cards were fraudulently used in various stores in Montgomery County and D.C. Store surveillance captured a male and female suspect.

Burglary 2:

On June 4, at approximately 3:00 p.m., officers responded to a call in the 4000 block of Adams Drive in the Kensington area for the report of a burglary. An 89-year-old female victim told police that a female suspect knocked on her door and said that she was working for the power company and wanted to check the home’s meter.

Police said the suspect told the victim to accompany her to the back of the house to show the meter’s location. The victim told police she notices a red car parked in front of her house and a person was sitting in the passenger’s seat. In the backyard, the suspect shared with the victim various issues with the meter and said she needed to speak to her supervisor in the red car. The victim went back inside her residence and noticed items had been removed from her house. When she looked outside, the car was no longer parked out front. It is probable that the second suspect entered the home while the female suspect was distracting the victim in the backyard, police said.

PHOTO | MCPD

Burglary 3:

On June 12, at approximately 4:36 p.m., officers responded to a call in the 11500 block of Cushman Road in Rockville for the report of a burglary. An 84-year-old female victim told police that a female suspect, claiming to be with the power company, asked to enter her home to check the power meter. The victim allowed the suspect to come into the home while a male suspect, wearing what appeared to be protective construction clothing, came to the door. The male suspect told the female suspect and the victim that he was ready to turn off the power and then returned to an older model, red/maroon sedan. The victim went to other parts of the home in an attempt to locate the meter and left the two suspects alone. The victim was unable to locate the power meter and returned to find that both suspects were gone. She then realized that items had been stolen.

Police obtained photographs of suspects after they used one the victim’s stolen credit cards.

Anyone with information about these incidents is asked to call police at 240.773.6710 or Crime Solvers of Montgomery County at 1.866.411.TIPS (8477)

About Aline Barros

Aline Barros is a multimedia reporter and community engagement specialist with Montgomery Community Media. She can be reached at Abarros@mymcmedia.org and on Twitter at @AlineBarros2.

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