Full Notification

MEDIA RELEASE / COMMUNITY ALERT
CITY of SAN MATEO POLICE DEPARTMENT
200 Franklin Parkway, San Mateo, CA 94403
www.cityofsanmateo.org





ELDER SCAM ALERT

A recent San Mateo burglary follows a criminal trend that targets the elderly. This is very typical of a common two-suspect “distraction burglary” technique - one of the suspects makes contact with one of the residents either at the front door, or in the back yard. The contact suspect distracts the victim through conversation or through a demonstration of their “services.” During this time, a second suspect enters other areas of the victim’s home and searches for and takes valuables.



DETAILS -

May 27th, 10:30am: A suspect contacted the 81 year-old victim in the 2600 block of Hacienda St. He asked to check her water lines to look for contamination. The victim allowed the suspect to check the faucets in the house, and later discovered that jewelry was missing from her bedroom. The suspect was described as being a clean shaven Hispanic male approximately 50 years old, with short hair.

Contact San Mateo Police Department if you have any information:

SMPD Investigations - 650-522-7650
Secret Witness Line - 650-522-7676
Text Anonymously - 650-262-3473


If you are the victim of a similar scam, or have received a call that you believe might be one of these scams, please report these crimes to San Mateo PD at 650-522-7700

As always, if you need emergency assistance, please dial 911.





Be aware of the following:

• Follow your instinct. If you feel something is not right with the situation, contact SMPD right away. Contact SMPD by “911” or by 650-522-7700 if you have any problem with solicitors that makes you suspicious or uncomforatable.


• You have no obligation to open your front door to solicitors. Criminals may also prey on empty homes when nobody answers the door, so a firm verbal response from behind your door that you see them out there but you are not interested should make them leave. If it doesn’t, call the police.


• Do not provide personal information or payment to anyone unless you initiate the contact!


• Be cautious of anyone who contacts you first, tells you that you need to make repairs immediately, talks too fast, or tells you that they are doing work in neighborhood and have “extra materials.”


• Beware of other common scams including car repairs, dent and scratch removal, tree trimming, and other services.



The following information applies to people representing themselves as any type of utility workers:

Members of the public can always check with the utility company represented before allowing a worker into their home – San Mateo’s Public Works Department can be reached at 650-522-7300 during the day, or 650-522-7350 after hours.



Cal Water can be reached at 650-558-7800 to verify local work being done – all of their employees carry Cal Water ID. http://www.calwater.com/


Customers are encouraged to call PG&E's customer service line at 1-800-PGE-5000 to verify an appointment and/or PG&E's presence in the community.
www.pge.com



Be cautious of any person(s) soliciting to do construction work. You can always ask to see their contractor’s license. You can verify a contractor’s license by contacting the Contractor State License Board at 1-800-321-CSLB or www.cslb.ca.gov


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Please help us make your neighborhood safer and take a stand against crime. Please report all criminal behavior, join a neighborhood watch program, and help anyone that might fall victim to a crime. If a Neighborhood Watch doesn’t exist on your block, you can start one with help from SMPD. For additional information about the City of San Mateo Neighborhood Watch Program, call Sergeant Dave Norris at (650)522-7626 or visit our web www.cityofsanmateo.org