The Arlington County Police Department is warning of a home invasion robbery scheme that has victimized at least one local senior citizen.
Police say two men knocked on a door of a home near the water treatment plant in south Arlington over the weekend and claimed to be representatives of a utility company. After the elderly resident let the men in, they locked her in a room while they stole valuables.
ACPD says residents who question the identity of someone claiming to be a utility representative should call the utility company to verify they are who they say they are.
The department issued the following press release about the weekend robbery:
The Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit is warning the public about a recent robbery scheme.
On Saturday, June 21, 2014, two suspects knocked on the door of a residence in the 700 block of S. 31st Street at approximately 3:22 p.m. and claimed they needed to perform repair work for a utility company. The elderly female victim allowed the men to enter the residence, where one of the subjects confined her to a room while the other subject rummaged through the remainder of the house. After concealing valuables, the two suspects fled the scene on foot and remain at-large.
Suspect one is described as a white or Hispanic male in his twenties, approximately 5’6″ and 160 lbs. He was wearing a Nike blue t-shirt and had a chipped front tooth. Suspect two is described as a Hispanic male in his twenties, approximately 5’1″ and 145 lbs.
If anyone has information on the identity and/or whereabouts of these individuals, please contact Detective Trainer of the Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit at 703.228.4185 or at [email protected]. To report information anonymously, contact the Arlington County Crime Solvers at 866.411.TIPS (8477).
If you are confronted with a similar situation or claim, make sure to verify that it is actually your utility company. Residents can do this by directly calling the number on your latest bill or by finding the number on the utility company’s main website. Never allow anyone into your home without proper identification.
After making a verification call, if you find that you were a victim of a scam or were a target, please file an online police report at http://www.arlingtonva.us/departments/police/incident/new/start-report.html or call the non-emergency police line at 703.558.2222.