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Police say scams are targeting Aurora's seniors

Aurora police are investigating two recent attempted ruse burglaries that targeted senior citizens on the city's East side.

Police say the first occurred around 3:15 p.m. Sept. 4 on the 1100 block of Pleasant Terrace. A 92-year-old man told police he was approached by a man, roughly 55 years old, who led him into his backyard telling him he needed to take some measurements for work he was supposedly performing at a business next door.

The senior citizen became suspicious after the suspect couldn't answer several questions and began to walk back to his house. When he got to the area of the garage, he noticed a second man. Both suspects entered a white pickup truck and left southbound on Pleasant Terrace.

When the man went back into his house, he noticed several interior rooms showed signs of someone going through them looking for valuables. Although nothing was apparently missing, about $200 in damage was done to the doorway of a locker.

Police, while examining video footage taken from a neighboring business, discovered there were actually four suspects, all of whom were white males. The vehicle they were driving is a 2016 Chevrolet Silverado four-door, with tinted windows, chrome factory wheels, and a black toolbox in the bed.

The second incident took place around 4:40 p.m. Tuesday on the 700 block of North Avenue and targeted an 88-year-old man and his 85-year-old wife.

The victims told police a man knocked on the front door and led the woman out to the backyard offering supposed tree trimming services. Two other men then entered the home, one of whom was trying to engage the male victim in conversation in an attempt to distract him while the other man went upstairs.

When the man realized he was being burgled, he told the suspect he was going to call police. Both men then quickly left the residence and all three got into a white pickup truck similar to the one described in the occurrence on Pleasant Terrace.

Anyone with information is asked to call Aurora police at (630) 256-5500 or Aurora Area Crime Stoppers at (630) 892-1000. Callers to Crime Stoppers are anonymous and qualify for a cash reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to any arrests.

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