St. Pete: Police searching for con artists

ST. PETERSBURG -- The two men walked into the David Gross Funeral Home during a memorial service with a demand. They said they were Verizon employees, and wanted to see billing records and other documents.

David Gross, the owner of the funeral home at 6366 Central Avenue, said his alarm bells went off so he asked the men for identification. They couldn’t provide any.

But nine days later, one of the men returned. This time, a woman claiming to be a supervisor accompanied him. She flashed an ID, but yanked it away when Gross tried to get a closer look. The man began yelling “assault,” and the two left after Gross said he was calling police.

“It’s a rarity,” Gross said of the incident. “We very rarely get people coming in off the street that we have any problem with.”

St. Petersburg police say the two men and the woman who went to the funeral home may be traveling con-artists who make their way to Florida this time of year and prey on unsuspecting residents and business owners. Police say a few members of a group try to create a diversion, while others steal money or other valuables.

“There’s probably more people out there that don’t recognize what’s going on or dismiss it,” said police spokesman Bill Proffitt. “It’s hard for us to get a good idea of how prolific they are.”

Police are asking anyone who has experienced a similar incident or theft to call authorities.

Police have also come across found another instance in recent weeks where the con artists targeted a homeowner.

On Feb. 25, police say a man walked up to a home in the western section of the city, and told the husband, who was working in the garage, that he was there to survey the property. The man said both the husband and his wife had to stand in the backyard as he surveyed the land.

As the couple stood outside, police say an accomplice went through the house and stole money from the woman’s purse. It is unclear if the culprits were the same ones who tried to con the funeral home.

“We tend to see them every year,” Proffitt said.

Last year, similar con artists tried a similar scheme with homeowners. They said they were checking water meters. As families stood outside with one of the crooks, an accomplice went through their homes.

--Abhi Raghunathan, Times staff writer