Syracuse (WSYR-TV) -- Syracuse Police are warning residents about a pair of quick-thinking thieves. They say an East Brighton Avenue homeowner fell victim to the thieves' plot to take his money.
Police say the homeowner answered a knock at his door Monday afternoon and thought the pair of men were landscapers. By the time he realized it was all a charade, it was too late.
We’ve heard of these types of distraction scams before and it’s very easy to fall victim to them. Someone will come to your door, make you an offer to do some work, or tell you a story. They may even get you away from your door for a few minutes.
While they’ve got your attention, someone else will look for a way into your home and quickly grab what they can. That’s what happened to Joseph Nuzzo.
The thieves claimed they were landscapers, looking to do some work on a neighbor’s property. They told Nuzzo they didn’t want to alarm him will all the loud noise.
"I said, meet me around back and show me what you're going to do. We walked back and he showed me what he was going to do,” Nuzzo said.
The detour was all part of a bigger plan. While Nuzzo continued talking with the younger of the two men, the other one slipped away saying he had to collect a check from another customer in the neighborhood.
“While I was talking to the other man for a few minutes, the other fella came into the house and...robbed me of most of my savings,” Nuzzo said.
The men made off in what Nuzzo says was a shiny, gray pickup truck. They were gone before he had a chance to see his home ransacked and his savings gone.
"When I walked in the house, all the lights were on; most of the drawers were open and thrown to the deck. When I saw my savings drawer open, I knew that I was robbed,” Nuzzo continued.
If you have any information that could help police in this case, call 442-5222.
Below is a more detailed description of the suspects:
One of the suspects was described as a white male, possibly in his 50s, about 150 pounds and was wearing some type of uniform. The victim says the suspect had a slight accent.
The second suspect was described as a while male in his 20s, between 120 to 140 pounds and was also wearing a uniform.
The victim saw the men leaving in a 2007 to 2009, silver Dodge Ram pickup with lots of chrome on the grill and wheel wells.
