Cops: Longwood woman could be 'casing' houses

LONGWOOD, Fla. — Police in one Seminole County neighborhood want people to be on the lookout for a door-to-door salesperson who may be seeking personal information.

Police said a woman with a Russian accent has been going to homes in the Sky Lark neighborhood in Longwood collecting personal information from homeowners.

They said she may be trying to "case" the neighborhood, trying to commit burglaries or worse.

Police are now stepping up patrols after the woman tried to make suspicious sales.

Rebecca Rushing was approached by the woman earlier this week but felt uneasy and asked her to leave.

"She said she was talking to my neighbor down the street that she was selling educational supplies or something, to see if I was interested," Rushing said.

The woman didn't just go door-to-door with school supplies. She also had a list of the names of people who lived in each home, including their kids names.

"It's very scary, it's very scary. When you're home alone with kids, you want to stay protected," Rushing said.

Rushing said the woman had about 30 names with respective addresses in the neighborhood and claimed Rushing knew them and they knew her.

"I'm like, 'I don't know them!'" Rushing said.

"It could be somebody trying to case out a house, case out a neighborhood that 'I know such-and-such or so-and-so' and therefore you let your guard down," said Kevin Tuck with Longwood Police.

In addition to extra patrols, police are emailing the neighborhood's watch group to be aware of any suspicious salespersons.

People who go door-to-door need a permit to sell. If someone comes to a resident's door that they feel is suspicious, they can call police.

WFTV