"I should have never let them in the house." Victim warns of thieves, fake Foxconn contractors

By: CBS58 Staff

Posted: Feb 9, 2018 9:39 PM CDT

NOW: “I should have never let them in the house.“ Victim warns of thieves, fake Foxconn contractors

"He opened this up and felt on the pipes. I don't know what the purpose of that was; it was all just a fake," said Lucille Sauder.

Sauder showed CBS58 crews how fake Foxconn contractors distracted her while two men robbed her home.

"I never was aware that the other two men were in the house," said Sauder.

On Thursday afternoon around 4:30. Two men came to her door in Mount Pleasant. They said they had hit a water pipe and needed to check the lines in their home. After Sauder let the men in, they took her to the kitchen to speak with her about her pipes. Meanwhile, two more men came in the door, went to the bedroom, and stole money and jewerly from the couple.

Sauder says she didn't realize she and her husband were robbed until she went to bed and saw the contents of her jewelry box on her bed.

"I thought, 'Uh oh. These guys were in here.' Then I walked to the dresser, picked up [my husband's] wallet and took a look. They had cleared what paper money was in there," said Sauder.

All together, the thieves took more than $1,000 within 15 minutes.

Sauder and her husband are in their 80s and feel they were targeted due to their age. Their house will also be taken for Foxconn development, and they want to know how to identify foxconn workers in the future. They say they've already seen Foxconn workers on or near their land surveying or making other preparations.

"What we recommend if someone comes to your door and they immediately want to come inside, that's kind of a red flag. If you don't feel comfortable call the police," said Captain Matt Soens, Mount Pleasant Police Department.

Police say the thieves left in a cream colored SUV, and give this message to residents:

"The Mount Pleasant Police Department would like to warn citizens that the area has seen an increase in this type of crime. The suspects will often pretend to be a utility worker of some type and try to gain entry into the house or have the homeowner come out side. As the suspect distracts the homeowner others enter the home and take money and small items of value. The Mount Pleasant Police Department asks residents to be vigilant and not let anyone into their residence they do not know. The Police Department urges residence to contact them immediately if any suspicious activity like this occurs."

Police say they've seen scams like this in the past, with a tag team of thieves, but this is the first time anyone has posed as Foxconn workers.

"This happened to be a good reason to tell people you want to get in their house because there is a lot of Foxconn construction that has already started. These vehicles and workers are already in the area, so it could be a believable story," said Captain Soens.

"That was my first mistake, I should have never let them in the house," said Sauder.

The Sauders say the fake workers had believable uniforms and a two-way radio on. They don't want anyone else to be fooled.