Another popular con artist scam involves an individual or individuals posing as employees of a utility company. They could be impersonating a gas man, a water department employee, or someone from the electric company who insists on seeing the circuit breaker box. Once inside the home the resident is kept occupied and, in the meantime, becomes victimized. Sergeant Loewe relates an account of an elderly woman who was told by an individual posing as a plumber to keep tapping on a pipe while he checked pipe connections throughout the home. The entire time she was tapping he was assured that she was occupied and, likewise, he was given ample time to confiscate valuables.
Con artists are very good at what they do.
They are very neat and smooth at how they go about things. This is just what the scam artist is looking for. According to Sergeant Loewe, senior citizens are most often at risk for being victimized by con artists. For this reason, the Des Plaines Police Department sponsors a five session Des Plaines Police Senior Citizen Crime Prevention School at the Des Plaines Community Senior Center. Seniors interested in attending the school in April and May should call the Crime Prevention Office at 391-5433.