The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents about three scams they may fall victim to this spring.

Lightning Rod Sales and Repair

In this scam, the “salesman” will claim he or she will replace lightning rods on the victim’s building, charging them thousands of dollars more than the actual price of the work. The scam has been reported twice in DeKalb County, and once in Cass County, according to a DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office press release. The work done is sub-par, and the scam artist will demand immediate payment in the form of cash and checks.

DeKalb County Sheriff Roger Scott said the sheriff’s office has made progress in the DeKalb County case and should be able to get the victim’s money back without charging the scam artist. Scott said if the money is not returned, the suspect will be arrested and charged with home repair fraud.

“We want to get the money back more than we want an arrest,” Scott said.

A second case almost identical to the first was reported around the same time and is also expected to be cleared, he said.

The suspect in the DeKalb County cases is from Wisconsin and the suspect in the Cass County case is from Missouri.

Gypsies and Irish Travelers

“Gypsies travel throughout the Midwest, performing various home repair frauds and burglaries. Usual method is to offer driveway sealing, roofing or repairing at bargain prices. Their methods involve pressure sales, intimidation and deception,” according to the press release.

Often, they will divert the homeowners while their associates burglarize the residence.

“A similar group out of Murphy Village, S.C., known as Irish Travelers, perform similar cons and frauds as gypsies and also head into northern Illinois with spring,” according to the press release.

Telephone Solicitation Fraud

A telephone scam targeting rural residents was reported in Stephenson County, where the caller said he or she was raising funds for the Illinois Sheriff’s Association.

Neither the ISA nor the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police ever do telemarketing, according to the press release, and the phone calls in Stephenson County originate from Florida.

Scott said there have been no reports of these calls in DeKalb County.

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