Holmes Beach Police Lt. Dale Stephenson wants residents to know there’s a possible scam artist working in the area.
He said the police department has taken complaints this week from residents in the southern part of the city who say a young man came to their doors asking for donations. He allegedly claims to be new to the neighborhood, saying “I live around the corner.”
The man appeared to be in his early 20s, and was dressed in shorts and shirt, according to Stephenson.
He said the man sometimes references a duplex, or the house with the dogs, and tells the resident that his mother asked him to knock on doors and meet the neighbors. He also says she’s planning to have a party to meet everyone.
He then says he’s forming a baseball team and asks for donations.
Stephenson said he learned this week of similar people or a pair working their scam door-to-door on Longboat Key.
He said Longboat Key police also are looking for avan with Georgia plates in conjunction with the scamartists.
Stephenson warned residents to be careful when they open their doors or give money. He suggested that while talking to a person at the front door, another person could be ransacking the home through the rear entry.
He suggested getting identification or viewing an ID card of solicitors, such as magazine sales people, before paying any money for goods or services or making a donation.
For more information or to report any suspicious activity, call HBPD at 941-708-5804. If witnessing a crime, call 911.
The same thing happened in Atlanta area. A young man dressed in knee shorts said his grandmother lived around the corner. He said he was in high school and trying to earn money to go to Europe for school projects. He looked older than high school. I asked about his grandmother and he hedged. He also claimed to know the man next door to where I was. So when I refused a donation, while the hair was standing up on my neck, he left and I called the neighbor who said he did not know the man and he’d not been to his door, so he took off after him, got some others and blocked their route out, called police. Turned out they were Israelis! Casing the area. Spooky. There had been rash of them, some saying they were artists. Just have to be careful today!