Faux fence workers try to burglarize home by distracting people inside

SARASOTA, Fla. — Detectives are looking into a suspected home invasion attempt that happened on Monday in Sarasota.

Around 4:30 p.m., a resident of West Royal Flamingo Drive said they saw a man wearing a baseball hat, mask, and a white long-sleeved shirt carrying a walkie-talkie. The man knocked on the front door and was greeted by the homeowner.

As the homeowner walked around the back of the house with the suspicious person, he told officers with the Sarasota Police Department that he noticed the man was speaking into a walkie-talkie.

Minutes later, a second man, wearing a large floppy hat, mask sunglasses, and gloves, walked up to the front door, knocked, and walked into the house through an unlocked door, security footage shows.

When the suspicious man walked inside, he was met with the homeowner’s wife, officers said. The man immediately turned around and said they needed to leave immediately for another job.

Both men fled in a white Chevy Tahoe with an Uber sticker.

Neither man was wearing a uniform or driving in a branded vehicle that would suggest that they were legitimate fencing contractors.

After the men left, the homeowner reached out to his neighbors who said they were out of town and didn’t request any fence or home repairs.

Nothing was stolen from the home.

If you’re expecting a worker to come into your home, make sure all workers have proper identification and are driving a marked vehicle.

Also, if there is no reason for a worker to come into your home, do not let them in.

Lastly, always lock all doors and windows, even when you’re home.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to call Sergeant Charlie Riffe at 941-263-6089 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers by calling 941-366-TIPS or online at www.sarasotacrimestoppers.com.

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