Area Homes Burglarized by Life Size Elf on the Shelf.....

Atlanta, GA- Atlanta law enforcement authorities are warning the public about a new home invasion scheme that has already led to the burglary of eleven homes this holiday season.

On autopsy this life sized Elf on the Shelf was found to just be a man in a costume  

"It's Christmas, people really want to please their kids and they aren't as cautious as they would normally be," Atlanta Police Department Deputy Chief Randy Stuart Carson explained. "But if it seems too good to be true, it probably is."

The ingenious scheme involves a full grown man dressing up like one of the popular Elf on the Shelf toys and claiming to be an actual elf sent from the North Pole to observe and report back to Santa, thus gaining access to the home. Once inside, the burglar simply waits until the family is asleep or has left him alone in the house.

Although it seems hard to believe that anyone would fall for such a trick, this isn't the first time that criminals have taken advantage of holiday distraction and unhealthy consumer demand according to Deputy Chief Carson. "Once we caught a peeping tom dressed up as Teddy Ruxpin. Unfortunately I shot and killed an actual Furby in 1998. He died in my arms. U-nye-way-loh-nee-way little buddy, u-nye-way-loh-nee-way."