The Oakland County Sheriff’s Department is looking for two men who robbed and struck an 80-year-old Independence Township resident as part of an apparent gypsy scam last week.
On May 5 at approximately 3 p.m., two men approached the Eastlawn Street resident and offered to sealcoat her driveway for $28. When she agreed, the men completed the job on the spot.
With the job finished, the woman began to write a check for payment. According to a press release from the Sheriff’s Office, the larger of the two individuals stepped behind her and slapped her with an open hand on the back of the head. The man told the woman the actual amount for the job was $661.
After the woman wrote the check, the suspect continued to slap her on the head and demanded she write another check for $400. The suspects took both checks and her credit card and instructed the woman to tell no one.
The following day, the woman went to the bank and tried to stop payment on the checks and was advised they were cashed.
Bank personnel were told why she wanted the checks canceled and urged her to call police. When she would not, bank officials contacted a family member who was also on the account and informed her of the situation.
On May 10, deputies were dispatched to the woman’s residence and a complaint was filed.
One suspect is described as a white male in his early 20’s. The other man was described as a ‘larger? Hispanic male. Their vehicle was described as an older model, small brown pickup truck with seal coating equipment in the back. The truck was reportedly parked on the street near the woman’s home.
Both checks were recovered from the bank and were written to the same person. The bank that accepted the checks took down information from a Florida driver’s license.
Persons with information regarding this incident should call 1-888-TURN-1-IN (1-888-887-6146).