Cpl. Bart Veal

Public Information Officer

903-798-3187 (office) 903-798-2368 (pager)

903-824-4199 (cell) 903-798-3023 (fax)

Texarkana Arkansas Police Badge

Re: Recent Elderly Scams or “Distraction” Thefts

The Texarkana Arkansas Police Department has recently noted three similar cases involving scams or “distraction” thefts. You may remember recent arrests of two males that were targeting the elderly during home invasions. The two men deceived the victims under the pretence that they were home improvement specialist or utility workers in order to gain access into the victim’s home. Although violence occurred in these cases many times only theft occurs.

There is an existing group within the Texarkana community that prey on the innocent and elderly by using a variety of home improvement scams. We will continue to alert and educate the community and potential victims about these types of crimes and arrest those responsible. In all of the cases the suspects INITIATED THE CONTACT by approaching the victims at their homes. In many cases the elderly do not realize that they have been distracted and victimized until the suspects are gone. In other more violent cases the suspects abandon the use of distraction shortly after gaining access to the home and assault the victims.

Three recent non-violent cases of scams or “distraction” thefts have been reported over the past three months in Texarkana Arkansas and they all share many similarities. All of the cases involved two or more white males. The criminals in these cases where usually driving trucks and on different occasions had passed themselves off as utility or home improvement workers. They usually look for elderly white females that are alone.

In one of these three cases the suspects claimed to an employee of SWEPCO and advised the victim that she needed to him put a sticker on an outside window at the rear of her home. While she was distracted another suspect entered her home and stole money from her purse. The suspects left the area before the victim ever realized what happened.

Two months later two suspects appeared at an elderly woman’s house and told her that someone had called them to her house in about a freon leak. He had the elderly woman follow him around to the backside of the house where he reported to her that he needed replace a part on her air conditioner. The men left the home and returned a short time later with a part in a box. They advised the elderly female that the work and part cost $158.00. She complied and gave the men a check. Soon after they left the house for the second time she realized that money and jewelry where missing, and no work to her air conditioner was ever needed.

One month after this incident two white males appeared on the porch of another elderly female and explained that they could save the woman some money on her utility bill and that they just needed to take some measurements of the inside of her home. They entered the home and one man asked the victim to assist him with measuring. While measuring the victims granddaughter came to the house. The men immediately excused themselves and left. After they left the victim realized that money had stolen form her purse.

These are only the reported cases of Texarkana Arkansas. Many victims do not report these crimes out of the fear of embarrassment or the appearance of vulnerability. We have the deepest amount of respect for our community no matter what their circumstances might be, and we need your help to stop these crimes. If you or anyone you know has information about these crimes or know someone who may have been victimized please call the Texarkana Arkansas Police Department at 903-798-3130 or Crime Stoppers at 903-793-7867 (STOP).

Thank you and you can visit the Texarkana Arkansas Police Department online at http://www.txkusa.org/arkpolice.