Burglars pose as "water department" employees

COCOA, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Cocoa Police have a warning for residents after an 89-year-old woman was robbed by two men claiming to be from the “Water Department.”

"Somebody come here talking about they're from the water department and I wasn't even thinking because I usually don't let anyone in my house and say he had to test the water,” the woman told 911 operators.

They “said they came here to test her water because there was a leak nearby, she doesn't normally let people in but she was unsuspecting and thought there was some legitimacy to what they were saying,” said Yvonne Martinez of the Cocoa Police Department.

Police say the con men then distracted the woman by telling her to look at her kitchen faucet to see if she saw any red dye come out. That's when they pounced -- taking off with $5,000 worth of jewelry

"I just went back to my bedroom and he stole all of my jewelry and all my drawers and things pulled out and all my pocketbook stuff and everything," the woman told 911.

Police say they’ve seen similar scams in Vero Beach. The suspects are still on the run.