Scammers Target Elderly Tulsa Woman, Police Say

Tulsa police are investigating after they say an elderly woman fell victim to a home improvement scam.

They want everyone to be on guard and look out for their neighbors.

They say the elderly victim was told her chimney needed to be fixed, so she let a man and woman into her home and gave them cash, but that was just the beginning.

A neighbor, Debbie Withers, lives across the street from the woman who was scammed.

“Great friend, nice lady,” she said.  “A guy in a white pickup truck, double doors, tools in the back, had stopped and talked to Ann, my neighbor across the street.”

Withers says she was taking out her trash as a man and woman pulled up offering to fix her neighbor’s chimney.  She says the scammers even came to her house.

“’Oh, I know you.  Remember me?  I’m Tony,’ and I went, ‘No,’” she recalled.  “He said, ‘I’m helping your friend Ann, here, with her chimney.’”

She says Ann let the two in and, while the woman distracted Ann, the man kept coming in and out of the house, going from room to room and rummaging through her things.

“Next thing I knew, she was over at my house, upset,” said Withers.  “I said, ‘call the police,’ and she did.”

Police say that scams like this are more common than you may think.

“We try to educate the seniors as much as we can,” said Detective Matt Rose.  “Unfortunately, we can’t educate them all.”

Detective Rose says it’s important to do your homework – call for a quote and don’t let strangers in your home, especially around the holidays.

“There’s a lot of people out there trying to scrounge up for money,” said Rose.  “They’re going to do anything.  Unfortunately, that involves a lot of scams.”

Police say the driver was in a white Chevrolet Z71, extended cab or four-door.  They say if you see the scammers, call police.