Full Notification

We want to alert you to two recent scams that targeted elderly residents in our community. The first one was a ruse burglary that occurred on the east side of North Aurora. A slender white male, about 5'10", in his 20's blonde hair & blue eyes wearing jeans, blue shirt and a blue handkerchief over his mouth approached the elderly homeowners doing yard work, spoke about their landscaping for 5-10 minutes, and then walked away. He was talking to someone on a hand held radio prior to walking away. The homeowners later realized that someone had stolen a safe, some jewelry, collectable coins, and some cash from inside their home. Preliminary investigation indicates that the suspects arrived in a dark gray SUV and a 2nd & 3rd suspect entered the house while the homeowners were occupied with the 1st suspect.

The second incident was a phone scam in which an elderly resident got a virus alert on her computer, prompting her to call a phone number she thought was for her bank. The "representative" she spoke with told her there was a charge on her account for porn and gambling and that she needed to purchase Target gift cards to offset the charges. She went to Target, purchased gift cards totaling several thousand dollars, and provided the numbers to the "representative."

To avoid becoming a victim of a ruse burglary:
***Keep your screen/storm door as well as your back door locked and speak to people at your door through the locked door.
***Don't take repair suggestions from someone knocking on your door and do not let them into your house before checking their references and reputation. If they are legitimate, they won't mind coming back later after you call the company and do a little research to feel comfortable that they are legitimate.
***Don't walk outside with them to look at what they claim needs repair. While you're occupied, an accomplice (who you may not even see) may enter through your unlocked front or back door and it only takes seconds for them to find something valuable.
***Demand to see solicitor permits from anyone who shows up trying to sell you goods or services (exception: magazine/newspaper sales are exempt). Legitimate sales people will have a Solicitor Permit from the Village issued to the individual (not held by the supervisor or the company).
When in doubt, call 911 and let us check them out to see if they are a legitimate business person with a permit.

To avoid becoming a victim of a phone scam:
*** Never pay someone, including a bank, government agency, utility or business with gift cards of any kind, especially over the phone. None of these take store gift cards as payment.
*** If you receive an alert which you think might be legitimate, like an actual fraud alert email, don't call the number provided in the alert. Call a number that you know to be the correct number or look it up.
*** Do not click a link unless you have verified that it is legitimate.
*** Do not give out any information over the phone and be careful about doing business with such a caller until you have verified their legitimacy.

Please join us in spreading the word to your friends, family, & neighbors, especially the elderly, and make sure that they understand these tips. You can always call us at 911 or (630) 897-8705 if you're not sure of the legitimacy of a person at your residence or calling on the phone.

How can you help your elderly relatives and neighbors from falling victim to these scams?