About a week ago, on Aug. 21, a woman was approached just outside her home by a woman claiming she worked for the city's pest control department, police said.
The suspect told the victim that there was a snake infestation and she needed to check the backyard for snakes, according to police.
After the suspect allegedly checked the home for snakes, distracting the victim for about 30 minutes, she left the area on foot.
When the victim returned inside the home, it was ransacked, with several personal belongings missing, according to police.
The suspect is described as a Hispanic woman between the ages of 35 and 45 years old. She was wearing a navy blue baseball hat with the word "City" across the front. She had short blonde hair under the cap - but the victim believes it was likely a wig.
The suspect was also wearing a dark green work shirt with an unknown round patch on the left chest. She also had nose and lip rings, and a tongue piercing, police said.
A woman with the same description was reportedly in Fremont using the same snake scam to burglarize residents.
Police have released a sketch of the suspect.
Anyone with information about the suspect is asked to call Union City police at (510) 471-1365 or anonymously at (510) 675-5207.
