By SUZANNE MARINO
Staff Writer

MARGATE – Police are warning residents to be alert for thieves posing as handymen or repairmen who arrive unannounced to do work around the house.

According to Margate police, an older couple on Quincy Avenue was robbed Monday, Nov. 24 by two men who said they were there to caulk their windows.

He said the couple answered their front door at about 3 p.m., talked to the men and let them into the house to do the work.

The men walked around, and then one of them came into the kitchen, where the woman was working at the sink. He had a spray bottle in his hand and “accidentally” sprayed the woman’s hand with a solution.

He told her it was acid and that she needed to take the ring off her finger and put it in milk for 30 minutes to counteract the acid, and she followed his suggestion.

By the time the 30 minutes had passed, the workers were gone, and so was her ring. According to police, the couple said the ring is worth $35,000. Margate Police Detective Sgt. Christopher Koch said that police are unaware of anything else being taken.

Police said the men were described as unkempt white males about 50 to 60 years old, driving a beat-up white pickup truck. One man was wearing an orange hat and the other had facial hair. Both men had heavy European accents, Koch said.

Police advise anyone who has someone come to their door alleging they have been sent to do work to call police at (609) 822-1151.

Do not let them in. Anyone with information about this or a similar incident is asked to notify police.