Cicero (WSYR-TV) – Cicero Police have issued a warning about possible scams targeting Central New York's elderly.
According to police, there have been reports of eight suspicious incidents in which people ranging from age 77 to 97 have been approached at their homes in Onondaga County, including the city of Syracuse.
During the incidents, one person tried to distract the resident, while another tried to enter the home.
Four incidents were reported in the city, while four others were reported in other parts of the county.
In most cases, the suspicious people operated in pairs. They have been described as white males ranging in age from 40 to 60 years old and between 5-foot-6 and 5-10.
Police described multiple types of scams the subjects tried to use:
- Handy man looking to do work on the house’s exterior
- Roofing scam in which the subject offered a quote or claimed to have made repairs and demanded money
- Fence scam in which a person says he is doing work for a neighbor and needs to make certain of where the fence line is
- Water department scam in which the subject asks to enter the house in order to check water pressure because of a water issue in the area
