Public Safety
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UPDATE: Police Revise Story About That Package With $10,000 Left on Darien Doorstep

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Updated at 6:18 p.m., Tuesday, March 26 — Darien police on Tuesday withdrew several parts of the department’s announcement about a package with $10,000 found on the doorstep of a vacant house. The parts about what happened in Darien were unchanged: The money was found, it came from an elderly woman scammed with a false story that her son had been arrested, and a man came three times, demanding the package. A Darien police detective who worked on the case gave this additional information, including changes in the original announcement (published below):

Changes:

— The victim who sent the $10,000 was from Arizona, not Maryland. — Earlier, a victim from Maryland had sent cash to the same address. The same scam was perpetrated on both victims.

— Darien police found out about the Maryland victim when a police agency in that state contacted the Darien department.

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Elderly Woman Loses $1,000 to Thief in IRS Phone Scam

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A 74-year-old woman who works in Darien got a phone call from a man pretending to be an IRS agent, and within hours $1,000 was taken from her. The case involves a common telephone scam in which the caller is told to immediately pay money through a wire transfer or gift card or some dire result will take place — in this case, that she would be arrested for lack of a tax payment claimed by the scammer. Elderly people tend to be victimized by the scam more than others. Darien police gave this account of the matter:

The woman, a New Haven resident who works at a house in Darien, had received a voice mail message about a month before from a “Paul Brown” who identified himself as an Internal Revenue Service official. He claimed in the voice mail that the victim owed the government money and he told her to call 509-592-9796.

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Police

Police Suspect 2 Attempted Distraction Burglary, But Elderly Woman Lost Nothing

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Two men knocked on the back door of an elderly Darien woman’s home on Brown Street and told her she seemed to need a roof repair, so she let one of the men go upstairs in her home to check for leaks, police said. What often results from that scenario is that victims later find something stolen from their home and the purported repairmen are never seen again — but nothing seems to have been taken this time, according to police. The resident, who is 82 years old, first heard the front doorbell ring late last Saturday afternoon. But as she was walking over to answer it, she heard a knock on the back door, and opened it to find the two men. After she let one of the men upstairs, as the other talked with her (an essential part of a distraction burglary), the man came back downstairs and she told them both that they’d have to return later in order to do any repairs.

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Darien Police Headquarters and Sign

Police: Man Poses as Visiting Water Co. Employee, as Accomplice Steals

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As a man posing as a water company employee went through her Ledge Road home with an elderly Ledge Road woman, his accomplice entered the house and stole cash and valuables from an upstairs bedroom, police said. The incident occurred at about 3 p.m. on Thursday, according to Darien police, who gave these further details:

The phony water company employee said a leak had been detected coming from the woman’s home, and she let him in to check out various parts of the house. For much of his visit, the man was on his cell phone — police suspect he was signaling his accomplice. Darien police say this kind of crime is a “distraction burglary” in which one perpetrator keeps the attention of a householder (often an elderly person) as one or more thieves enter a home to steal from it. Aquarion Water Co., which serves Darien customers, recommends, “especially if no appointment has been scheduled,” that residents “refuse entrance into their home without first seeing photo identification.”

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Police

Prevent this Crime: Distraction Burglary

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Here’s a long quote from a news release Darien police issued Friday with advice for preventing a “distraction burglary” — when one person distracts a householder while another sneaks in a home to steal from it (after one such incident happened on Thursday):
Distraction burglary is a crime in which elderly persons are often the targets but not always. The perpetrator seeks to draw a resident out of the house or into the basement on a pretext. While the resident is occupied, an accomplice enters the home and steals valuables such as money and jewelry. Thieves may also take papers with the intent of committing identity theft. In a variation, the accomplice enters the dwelling by a second door while the resident is occupied at the other door. 
To prevent distraction burglary, be suspicious of anyone who comes to your door under any of these guises:

Utility worker
Public official
Door-to-door salesperson
Person asking about a lost pet
Lost person asking for directions
Person asking about working on the property
Surveyor

In the case of someone claiming to be on official business, it’s a good idea to ask for identification, but that can be faked.