Elgin-area couple fall prey to ruse burglars

Burglars stole $2,000 cash from an Elgin-area couple in a ruse burglary Nov. 22, authorities say.

The male victim reported that at 4 p.m. that day, a man drove up to their property on the 38W200 block of Highland Avenue, said he needed to survey the lot for someone planning to install a fence, and asked the property owner to walk with him.

During the phony survey, the suspect was speaking on a radio to another person, who supposedly was surveying the opposite side of the property, according to reports.

The property owner became suspicious and returned to his house. His wife, who had been in the basement, reported she heard footsteps above her and called out, thinking it was her husband.

They later discovered that cash which had been kept in a bag in a bedroom dresser was missing, authorities said.