Community Alert – Attempted Fraud

January 28, 2022

Community Alert

Case # 22-003007

Attempted Fraud

 On January 27, 2022, at approximately 4:00 PM, an elderly township resident from the 1300 block of Highland Avenue reported that individuals claiming to be from a paving company knocked on his door. They advised the resident that they had extra blacktop from a job and asked if he wanted his driveway paved. The resident agreed to have them fill a pothole at the end of his driveway. No estimate or discussion of the price for the work was discussed prior to the work being started. The work crew consisted of four white males, one black male, one white female with long black hair and two children that appeared to be between 7-12 years of age. The resident allowed the woman and children to enter his residence several times. Upon checking the progress of the work, the resident discovered that a larger portion of his driveway had been paved. He told them to stop and at that point and they advised him that he owed several thousand dollars for the work that was done. The resident refused to pay for the work. Thanks to a vigilant neighbor who had been looking out for the elderly resident, the subjects left the area. At this time, the resident does not report any items missing from his residence. The involved vehicles were described as being a white 4 door pickup truck with a utility body, a dump truck with Florida registration and a green Jeep Renegade with Florida registration. Abington Detectives strongly believe that these individuals were attempting to fraudulently obtain money from an otherwise unsuspecting elderly homeowner. This is a common tactic used by transient criminal groups, who tend to target elderly victims. These criminals will also deploy females and children, as was done in this case, to gain trust and sympathy of the homeowner to allow them to enter the home, where ultimately a theft is committed. Some of the common schemes used by these criminals include driveway sealing, tree work, and posing as public utility employees. To prevent these types of crimes, it is recommended that elderly residents are educated by family members, friends and neighbors to be aware of these types of crimes. Be aware of uninvited or unlicensed solicitors knocking on doors and looking for work. Anyone having information regarding this incident is asked to contact Abington Police at (267)536-1100.

 

CRIMINAL CHARGES, AND ANY DISCUSSION THEREFORE, ARE MERELY ALLEGATIONS AND ALL DEFENDANTS ARE PRESUMED INNOCENT UNTIL AND UNLESS PROVEN GUILTY.

 

Approved for Release by:
Lieutenant Steven Fink