A post on the township website advised residents to be wary of ‘gypsy burglaries,’ which commonly occur during the summer months of the year targeting elderly residents.
BORDENTOWN TOWNSHIP — The Bordentown Township Police Department are advising residents of ongoing scams.
A post on the township website advised residents to be wary of “gypsy burglaries,” which commonly occur during the summer months of the year targeting elderly residents.
In these incidents, people purport to offer services roofing contractors, driveway seal coating and many other home repair identities.
According to police, such an instance occurred on April 22 when an unidentified male approached an elderly woman at her residence, posing as an employee from Triple A Tree Service.
Police said the man told the woman that a neighbor in a home abutting the rear of her property had retained his services. He then asked the woman to step outside the home into the backyard so she could show him the property line.
The woman, accompanied by her husband, proceeded to the backyard with the suspect, who began communicating with someone via a radio.
Subsequently the woman began to return to her home, followed by the suspect, and noticed another person walking out of her driveway toward the street.
Upon asking the suspect, he said that the other individual was also an employee.
Both suspects fled the scene on foot. There was no vehicle description. A short time after the two suspects fled the scene the victim discovered that her master bedroom was entered and several pieces of jewelry were missing from on top of her dresser.
Police advise if someone offers unsolicited services and their vehicle is not properly marked, homeowners should contact the police department to properly identify the involved parties. Use of walkie-talkies is very common during these scams.
Authorities also advised local residents to be aware of a scam where people pose as Drug Enforcement Administration special agents or other law enforcement personnel as part of an international extortion scheme.
The criminals call the victims (who in most cases previously purchased drugs over the internet or by telephone) and identify themselves as DEA agents or law enforcement officials from other agencies, according to police.
The impersonators inform their victims that purchasing drugs over the internet or by telephone is illegal, and that enforcement action will be taken against them unless they pay a fine. In most cases, the impersonators instruct their victims to pay the “fine” via wire transfer to a designated location, usually overseas.
If victims refuse to send money, the impersonators often threaten to arrest them or search their property. Some victims who purchased their drugs using a credit card also reported fraudulent use of their credit cards.
Police remind residents that impersonating a federal agent is a violation of federal law. The public should be aware that no DEA agent would ever contact members of the public by telephone to demand money or any other form of payment.
According to police, the DEA reminds the public to use caution when purchasing controlled substance pharmaceuticals by telephone or through the Internet. It is illegal to purchase controlled substance pharmaceuticals online or by telephone unless very stringent requirements are met. And, all pharmacies that dispense controlled substance pharmaceuticals by means of the internet must be registered with DEA.
By ordering any pharmaceutical medications online or by telephone from unknown entities, members of the public risk receiving unsafe, counterfeit and/or ineffective drugs from criminals who operate outside the law.
In addition, personal and financial information could be compromised.
Anyone receiving a telephone call from a person purporting to be a DEA special agent or other law enforcement official seeking money should refuse the demand and report the threat to authorities.