Boston Area Detectives are reporting several crimes against the elderly, and remind all residents to use care in allowing unsolicited workers in their homes. They recommend calling the local police to verify the identity of anyone seeking access to their homes.

In one incident, 3 white males entered a home stating they were from the Water Department and had to check the basement for possible flooding. Once in the home the suspects separated, and $800 in cash was taken from a bedroom drawer.

In another incident, a white male entered a home wearing an ID tag that read: “Water Disaster Department”. The elderly couple were led to the basement and told to run their washing machine. While in the basement, a second suspect had time to remove cash from two dresser drawers and also pried open a medium size closet safe.

For the most part, government employees are not checking basements for flooding. If they are official workers, they will have uniforms and Identification, as well as a properly labeled vehicle. If you did not call for service, do not let them in. Call 911 and ask for the police to respond.