Elderly Raleigh couple scammed and robbed
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- An elderly couple in Raleigh is reeling after letting two thieves into their home thinking they were old neighbors.
Raleigh police said it's a scam they've seen before -- people posing as salesmen and preying on trusting homeowners.
For their safety, ABC11 will refer to the couple as Bill and Jane. They have lived in their north Raleigh home for more than 50 years.
They said when a man showed up at their front door last Wednesday claiming to be an old neighbor; they believed him and let him in.
Jane said the man told them he was moving back to Raleigh to open an antique store and was selling flooring on the side.
He asked if his son could come in and soon, with Jane and Bill sitting on their couch, they rolled out a sample of linoleum flooring.
"All of a sudden he says, 'Look at this,'" described Jane. "And he started banging on the linoleum.'I want to show you how tough it is.' And he kept banging and banging and banging."
Looking back, Jane said that's when the younger man must have ducked behind the flooring, going down the hall and into two bedrooms, stealing cash tucked away in a drawer and the closet, two bracelets from her dresser, and money from her purse.
It wasn't until the next day that she even noticed what happened.
"I opened my purse and it was so light and I looked and there was nothing," said Jane. "I said, 'Oh my God! He's- everything in my purse is gone!'"
Raleigh police say they're still working to track down leads in this case, but they have very little to go on.
Officers warn to never let anyone you don't know inside your home, especially if they show up unsolicited offering to perform work on your house.
