Scam alert in Hernando County: 'Fence builders' may be thieves

SPRING HILL — The Hernando County Sheriff's Office is warning residents to be alert to a new scam being run on homeowners in the county.

An elderly couple in Spring Hill reported to deputies that on Monday two strangers drove up to their home on Medford Avenue around 4 p.m. The driver went to their door while the passenger stayed in the car.

The driver told the husband and wife, ages 87 and 82 respectively, that he had been hired by the neighbor who lives behind the couple to construct a fence along their property line.

The man said he wanted the couple to see where he was going to erect the fence and needed their permission. The couple and the man went into the back yard, where they chatted for a while.

The couple contacted the neighbor on Thursday and learned the neighbor is not having a fence erected. They then checked their house and discovered money and jewelry were missing.

Deputies theorize that while the man lured the couple out of the house, the other person in the car entered the unlocked house and robbed the couple.

The sheriff's office said this is the first time this sort of scheme has been reported in Hernando County. Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact the Hernando County Sheriff's Office at (352) 754-6830.