Fake cops targeting Chicago residents

(CBS/WBBM) CHICAGO, Il. - Authorities are warning Chicago residents to beware of men going around knocking on doors, posing as undercover police officers.

According to CBS station WBBM, Grand Central Area detectives say there have been three separate incidents of men, age 18-36, knocking on doors in the city's Northwest Side neighborhoods and telling residents they are undercover police officers.

The "police men," were reportedly equipped with props, including badges and radios. The alert described them as white and/or Hispanic, wearing baseball caps, and gray or black sweatshirts.

One incident occurred at the home of Dorothy Martorano. The "officers" showed up and without knocking, entered the home. Martorano only noticed them when she heard someone rummaging around in her living room.

"There was a guy standing in the middle of our front room, and I said, 'Who are you, and what are you doing in my house?'" she said. "And he said, 'Oh, don't worry, don't worry, we're the police,' and he flashed a badge."

She says she initially believed them when they told her a story about four men breaking into her garage, but grew suspicious when one of the men started searching in other areas of her house. She called 911.

"Thank God I was able to do that," said Martorano "It could have been a very dangerous situation. But I picked up 911, and I started talking to the operator, and then what I heard in the background was, 'Oh, she's calling,' and then they took off."

Police are advising residents to be vigilant and to remember that all Chicago police officers carry a five-point star and ID card. The suspects have yet to be apprehended.