Home Invasion Robbers Pose as Deliverymen

A man dressed as a postal worker and an accomplice robbed a home in East Meadow, Long Island yesterday. When the 32-year-old homeowner opened the door, she saw the uniformed man holding a package, but then he showed a gun. The woman was handcuffed and she and her two young daughters were forced into a bathroom. Then he claimed, per WABC 7, he was a "police officer and wanted to know where the valuables were kept." Police are looking for two suspects--more details here. Sometimes home invasion robbers pose as utility workers, needing access to meters inside your house, so be very cautious when opening the door.

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By Jen Chung in News on August 15, 2008 8:44 AM

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Future Taliban

"A man dressed as a postal worker and an accomplice robbed a home in East Meadow, Long Island yesterday. When the 32-year-old homeowner opened the door, she saw the uniformed man holding a package, but then he showed a gun. The woman was handcuffed and she and her two young daughters were forced into a bathroom. Then he claimed, per WABC 7, he was a 'police officer and wanted to know where the valuables were kept'".

Then he claimed to be a catholic priest and asked if there were any male children in the home.

WorksInDUMBO

Trust me, she was NOT from ESCO... totally running a scam.

colonelcasey

I thought those people with the clipboards were from ESCOs asking you to switch from ConEd to them. Regardless, I don't give a crap about them and never answer the door when I see them there.

As for delivery men, postal workers almost never wait for you to come down and pick up the package. They usually ring the bell, dump it on your doorstep, and drive off. For the parcel services, I'm usually questionable when I'm not expecting a package to come and I don't see the truck parked outside.

WorksInDUMBO

Yep. I live in Cobble Hill and had a woman with a clipboard ring my bell and say she was from the "light company" and that we were owed a refund for overpaying our "light bill" and that she needed a.) an old bill with all our billing info on it (hello, identity theft!), and b.) to be let in the building so she could "knock on the other neighbors' doors".

I pretty much laughed in her face and told her there was NO WAY I was letting her in or giving her this stuff. (I mean, if you are going to do that, at least get a fake Con Ed ID badge or at least SAY you are from Con Ed--who the hell says "light company"?)

After she left, I called the 76th Precinct and they said she had been going around the neighborhood doing this--on top of the identity theft, she also has 2 guys that work with her, and that if I'd let her in she would have let THEM in to do some robbin'.

alecsatin

In our building in Queens, there was a rash of false utility people earlier in the year. They would buzz to get in - assume looking for empty apartments. Never anything like what was reported here.

Has anyone else been approached at home by fake delivery people?