EVERETT – He seemed interested in the faucets and hot water tank, but he apparently was only there to drain the homeowner’s savings.
Police are warning the public of a con man posing as a utility worker who recently robbed an elderly man of more than $7,500. The heist happened about 9:30 a.m. Monday in the 1400 block of Oakes Avenue.
| Everett officials offer the following advice about how to protect yourself from con artists:
* Insist on seeing identification. * An Everett utility worker won’t ask to go inside your home unless you have called with a water quality complaint. * If you have any questions or want to verify the name of an employee or whether work is being done in the area, call this 24-hour number: 425-257-8821. * A utility worker will wear a shirt or jacket with a city logo and an ID badge. * A utility worker will also drive a vehicle displaying a city logo. * If you are suspicious, call 911. |
The suspect, dressed in a red hard hat and tan coveralls, asked to check the water heater inside the home, the resident told police. The suspect is a white male 30 to 35 years old, 5 feet, 10 inches tall and 180 pounds.
Once inside, he turned on a faucet and asked to see the hot water tank in the basement. The resident, in his 80s, accompanied the man downstairs.
The con man told the homeowner to stand by the shutoff valve while he went upstairs, according to police. When the suspect didn’t return after a few minutes, the resident went back upstairs.
The suspect was gone, and so was more than $7,500 in cash from the homeowner’s wallet and dresser drawer, police said.
Everett hasn’t received any additional reports, but Seattle police are investigating a similar scam reported Friday in the Beacon Hill area. A couple told Seattle police that two men, one wearing an orange vest, posed as utility workers and asked to check the water in their home. They later made off with the couple’s money and jewelry.
Police have not established a connection between the Everett case and the one in Seattle. However, the public should note one important similarity between the cases, officers said.
In both cases, the suspects wore work gear, but didn’t present proper identification.
“You can buy a hard hat for $9.99, and it can be a pretty official-looking hat,” Seattle police spokesman Rich Pruitt said.
Police are warning residents to look for more than a uniform or hard hat.
“People should be leery of the folks who show up at their door and want in,” Everett police Sgt. Cheryl Braley said. “People should insist on seeing” identification.
Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@heraldnet.com.
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