A 71-year-old resident of the 100 block of George Road in Wheeling fell victim Tuesday to a scam by two men who made off with jewelry worth $15,000 to $20,000, police said.
The victim said she was at home about 2:30 p.m. when a man posing as a tree-trimmer showed up, police said.
The man told the woman he was working for a neighbor, and he led her into her back yard, saying he wanted to avert cutting trees on the woman’s property, according to authorities. Later, a second man summoned him away from the woman.
When the woman went back inside her home, she discovered a strongbox in a bedroom had been pried open. Valuables reported missing from the box included 15 to 20 silver dollars, gold chains and bracelets, a pearl necklace and gold charms, police said.