Police: Scammer steals $700 from elderly Rock Hill woman

ROCK HILL — A moment of letting her guard down is what a 74-year-old Rock Hill woman said led to a scammer stealing $700 from her house.

A man in his 40s with a gray ponytail wearing a brown cap knocked on the woman’s door about 4 p.m. Wednesday, said the woman, who did not want to be named.

He claimed “he was there to help her with reducing her power bills,” according to a Rock Hill police report.

The woman said the man knew her sister and nephew’s name and told her he had just been to their house to help, too. Her sister lives on the same block and has sent visitors to her house before, she said.

They’ve lived in the neighborhood for nearly 50 years and it’s usually quiet, she said.

“I let him in,” she said. “I assumed he was from my sister’s church.”

Once inside, the man started measuring parts of the house, the report states.

“He said, ‘Hold this tape measure,’” the homeowner said. “And like a stupid thing, I did it.”

“I told him he didn’t need to go into my bedroom but he did anyway,” she said.

She told police the man took $700 in cash from her wallet, which was in her purse in a bedroom.

Police have no leads on a suspect, so they closed the case, said Brad Redfearn, police spokesman.

The elderly are particularly at high-risk for these types of scams, Redfearn said.

It’s best to never let strangers in your house and keep your doors locked, he said.

And the woman said that’s just what she’ll be doing from now on.

“I’ve never had any trouble until yesterday,” she said. “And, I didn’t sleep at all last night.”