Scammers Targeting Pasco County Residents

LAND O’ LAKES, FL — The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents about an uptick in scam activity that’s occurred over the past few days. In one case, a Land O’ Lakes resident’s home was burglarized while its occupant was kept distracted.

According to deputies, a Lake Padgett resident heard a knock on the door during the afternoon hours of Jan. 27. When the victim answered, a man said he was reporting to do tree work at the home.

“Although the victim did not call for any service, the male was able to deceive the victim into meeting him in the backyard,” an email from the sheriff’s office said. “During this time, at least one other subject entered the victim’s home through the unlocked door and burglarized the residence.”

The man was last seen driving a gray pickup truck, the agency said.

Two other similar crimes have occurred in Pasco County in recent days, the sheriff’s office said. One case occurred in Lutz and the other Dade City.

Other law enforcement agencies in the Tampa Bay area have also reported similar scams involving groups of people who travel into neighborhoods intent on burglarizing homes by distracting residents.

Anyone with information about the Land O’ Lakes incident or others that have occurred in the county is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 1-800-706-2488.

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