An elderly woman who hired some men who came to her Elkton Road home offering to do work lost $4,000 in cash when the men turned out to be con artists, said Limestone Sheriff Mike Blakely.

The woman, 74, was one of three who came forward last week to report being victimized by different groups of people, Blakely said. The cases are likely not related, he said.

Four men approached the Elkton Road home, two saying they would fix the owner’s lightning rods and two who offered to pressure-wash her house. The men told the woman she would receive a rebate by mail for more than she paid them. The resident also wrote two checks for “large sums,” the sheriff said, but the bank stopped payment on them before the men could cash them.

“It’s springtime. It looks like all of our flim-flam and con artists are coming out of the woodwork,” Blakely said.

The sheriff suspects there are more victims who have not reported the crimes.

“If they have been victims, they shouldn’t be embarrassed to call and let us know,” he said. “It may help us catch them.”

Anyone with information on such a crime should call 232-0111 to report it.

Investigators have a suspect in another incident in which a man on Tide Lane paid a man to pressure-wash his home.

The man charged the resident $800, washed a small area then left without finishing.

“We have a suspect and hope to have that one cleared soon,” Blakely said.

No suspects have been identified in a third incident on Pettusville Road in which a couple stole from an 81-year-old woman.

The resident let a white male and a white female into her home when they showed her samples and told her they were selling floor coverings.

“While the female distracted her, the male went through the residence and stole her purse,” Blakely said.

He advises families of senior citizens, especially those who may have senility or dementia, to keep in close contact with them.

“Relatives of the elderly need to check on them very closely,” he said. “Be careful because somebody may come by and lift them of everything they’ve got.”

No one should hire strangers who come to their door without references, the sheriff said.

“If you don’t know them, no matter how good the deal sounds, don’t agree to hire them or let them do anything until you’ve talked to someone who knows them or can provide references,” he said. “This time of year you get every kind of scam you can imagine.”