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A resident in a Sai Wan Ho housing estate has issued a warning to neighbors after a suspicious encounter with a woman who allegedly pretended to be a food delivery driver in what is suspected to be a method for scouting apartments to burgle.
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The incident, which was shared on a local Facebook group, has put residents on high alert. The original poster explained that on an afternoon on April 17 (Fri), she was at home when she heard her doorbell ring several times. Before she could get to the door, she heard her outer metal gate being pulled open, followed by forceful knocking on her wooden door.
Thinking it might be a fire alarm or an emergency, she immediately opened the door. She was met by a middle-aged woman holding a McDonald's bag.
"She saw that someone was home and immediately took a step back," the resident wrote.
When the resident stated that she hadn't ordered any food, the woman nervously recited the correct apartment address but then quickly changed her story, claiming the delivery was for an apartment two floors up.
The resident, who is familiar with her upstairs neighbors and knew they were out for the day, questioned the woman further.
"I immediately asked the aunty to be clear about where she was delivering to and not to ring the wrong doorbell again," the resident recounted. "She then changed her story again, saying she was a friend of the upstairs resident, and then she quickly took off."
The resident immediately felt something was "off," noting that a normal delivery person or a friend visiting would not aggressively pull open a gate and bang on the door but would wait for someone to answer.
The woman was holding the food in a generic clear plastic bag with no receipt attached.
"I suspect this aunty was going around on a Sunday, when many people are out, trying doors and hoping to get into an apartment to steal things," she wrote. Her child had forgotten to lock the outer metal gate, but thankfully the main wooden door was secured.
She immediately called building security to report the suspicious individual. A few days later, she spoke to her upstairs neighbor, who was shocked to hear the story.
The neighbor confirmed they never order food delivery and were not expecting any visitors that day, solidifying the resident's belief that the woman was "bluffing" to scout for empty homes.
Other netizens in the group agreed that this was likely a reconnaissance or "casing" tactic used by burglars. "Normal people don't ring a doorbell and then pull open someone's gate," one user commented, advising that building management should be notified to track non-residents entering the building.
The incident has served as a stark reminder for residents to remain vigilant. "These situations really require neighbors to help look out for one another!" another user wrote, highlighting the risks when families go away for long holidays.
𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓
