A pair of alleged scam artists pretending to be chimney workers had the tables turned on them when the elderly Long Island woman they tried to burglarize figured out their scheme and had them arrested when they returned to her home, police say.
The 92-year-old woman, who is being identified only as Violet, said the two men came to her Bellport home last Saturday claiming to be from a company called New York's Finest Home Improvements.
They told her they'd made an appointment with her regarding chimney work, and while she was distracted outside with one of the men, the second stole prescription drugs and $165 in cash from inside the home, she said. But the alleged thieves didn't stop there: they told her they'd come back and fix her chimney for $3,000.
Violet decided to do some investigating, and when she looked through her phone book, she could not find a listing for New York's Finest Home Improvements. She called police.
"It's kind of funny to us. We would use Google, or we would use the Internet," said Suffolk Det. William Madigan. "A 92-year-old woman is going to use the phone book to see if she can find the company name."
When the two suspects returned, police were waiting for them and made the arrests. The convicted felons were charged with burglary.
Violet said she's learned her lesson and told reporters Thursday, "You folks tell your folks to be careful. They might not realize, but they could be a victim next."
