Gwinnett County authorities have issued an advisory on a pair of con artists who may be targeting older female victims in a theft scam. 

One suspect lures the homeowner outside while the other goes inside and steals jewelry and cash.

Gwinnett County Police have responded to two reported incidents that may be part of a larger trend.

Detectives would like the public to be aware of the "scam" method these suspects are using.

The suspects in both cases acted as if they knew the victims, or had a valid reason to be there.

These two incidents occurred very near each other in the Peachtree Corners area of unincorporated Norcross.

The first incident occurred on Dec. 28, 2011 at about 1:45 p.m. The victim in this case was an elderly female. A white male suspect knocked on the victim's door and spoke to the victim as if he knew her.

He claimed to be her old AJC newspaper delivery person, and addressed her by name.  The suspect hugged the victim and acted as if they had known each other for some time.

The victim felt the suspect was trying to gain entry into her home. The victim told the suspect her husband was at home and he quickly left.

He got into a copper colored vehicle driven by a second male suspect and drove away.  Nothing was stolen in this incident.

The second incident occurred on Jan. 7, 2012 at about 3:15 p.m. The victim in this case was also an elderly female. An Hispanic male suspect entered the victim's garage and rang the doorbell.

When the victim answered, the suspect asked her if she had received the note he claimed to have left at her home a few days before. He claimed he was there to install a fence in the back yard. Under this pretense, the suspect asked the victim to join him in the back yard.

She spent several minutes with the suspect in the back yard, during which time the suspect spoke on a walkie-talkie. The last time he spoke on the walkie-talkie, he spoke in Spanish, then quickly walked to the front of the home. He got into a champagne colored (or possibly
light green) Ford F150 and drove away. The victim later discovered that several pieces of her jewelry had been stolen while she was outside with the suspect.

Detectives are investigating both cases. Anyone who may have dealt with these suspects, but not filed a police report is asked to call detectives at 770-513-5300. Anyone who encounters these suspects in the future is asked to call 911. It is likely that these suspects are specifically targeting older females who they believe are home alone.

Suspect #1:  white male
6'00" to 6'03" tall, average build
Blue eyes
Identified himself as "Michael Thompson"
Identified himself as a former AJC newspaper delivery person
Vehicle driven by a second suspect, described as a copper colored, older
model vehicle (unknown if a car or truck)

Suspect #2: Hispanic male
5'07" tall, 175 to 185 pounds
Clean shaven
Light skin tone
Wore blue jeans, a white long sleeve crew neck shirt, and a white baseball
cap
Claimed he was present to work on a fence
Spoke on a walkie-talkie in English and Spanish
Vehicle described as a champagne color Ford F150


In addition to the vehicles listed above, the suspects have been seen driving a white pickup truck of an unknown make and model.

Gwinnett County Police Department detectives are working with investigators from other jurisdictions who have had similar cases. Anyone who encounters these suspects should call 911. Anyone with information on the suspects may call detectives at 770-513-5300.