Sheriff's Dept. finally gets with it

Finally.... finally.... after how many days? the McHenry County Sheriff's Department is getting around to warning residents to watch out for gypsies and other burglars. Thanks to Kristin Ottolino of Marengo and County Board member Mary McCann for going to the sheriff's department, in person and unannounced, on Monday morning to raise (well, you know what ... rhymes with "bell").

The following is today's message from the sheriff's department. Hey, is it election time? Why is the sheriff claiming the spotlight? Is he even in town? It was the UNDER Sheriff who took the heat on Monday morning.

Sheriff Keith Nygren would like to advise residents of McHenry County of recent home repair scams that have been occurring in McHenry County. On August 19, 2011 in the 20700 Block of Ridgeview Lane in Marengo, Illinois the Sheriff’s Office responded to an incident where the elderly victims were distracted by the offenders who claimed that they were roofers. One offender distracted one victim outside of the property while another offender distracted the other victim inside the house pointing out things inside the house from room to room. After the offenders left, the victims realized money and personal checks had been taken.
McHenry County tends to have two common groups which are called “Self Proclaimed Criminal Travelers” and “Self Proclaimed Criminal Gypsies” work in our area. Both groups commonly will knock at your door, say that they were driving by, and noticed that your driveway or roof needs work. One person will commonly go to the door and distract the victim. While at the front door they may ask for more money, water, something inside the residence, or distract the victim to come outside. Once the victim is distracted, co-offenders will go into the residence and search for valuables or U.S. currency. Frequently this group targets residents who are elderly, or live alone.

“Self Proclaimed Criminal Travelers” are groups of people who scam through paving, rough repairs, barn painting, and lightening rod installations. “Self Proclaimed Criminal Travelers” usually drive impeccably clean pickup trucks with out of state plates, including the state of Wisconsin. Vehicles may have magnet signs attached with their company information with an out of state area code or 800 telephone number. Victims often describe the suspects as Caucasian or Irish. Victims also may enter into written contracts with the travelers and are promised life-time warranties.

“Self Proclaimed Criminal Gypsies” cons usually include seal coating, rough repairs, and replacement. Criminal Gypsies also use pickup trucks with seal coating equipment in the back. One price is often given at the estimate time, and when the job is complete you are told that you owe more money because they used more material than expected. Frequently the service is not professional in appearance and deteriorates over a short period of time or washes away. “Self Proclaimed Criminal Gypsies” often are described as Romanian, Yugoslavian, or may be described as Hispanic, and speak the English language with a heavy foreign accent.

Some suggestions to help protect yourself include: Do not have unsolicited work done on your residence. Implement the 1-2-3 rule. If someone wants to do work at your residence that was not solicited by you:
1. Wait one day to speak to family members
2. Wait a second day to speak to friends and neighbors about it
3. Wait a third day to see if they come back to push you to get the work performed

During the 3 day “waiting” period, contact a local reputable company to obtain a price comparison. Another rule to live by, if the deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Finally, if you have any questions or concerns, contact your local police or sheriff’s office immediately to obtain further assistance.
For full details, view this message on the web.

Sent by McHenry County, IL Sheriff's Office, 2200 N Seminary Ave, Woodstock, IL 60098