Philadelphia looking to thwart scammers posing as utility workers

Councilman Curtis Jones says people posing as utility worker have been targeting elderly city residents as a way to rob them.  He says there needs to be something done to protect the city’s older citizens and give them peace of mind.”I want you to know that vast majority of the instances these are legitimate inquiries but some nefarious individuals have found their way for this new entre to commit crime against particulary our most vulnerable,” said Jones.

Denise James of the Philadelphia Police Department says they are working on a way to verify the identity of utility workers coming to a person’s door.

“We’re setting up a system where there would be one number that senior citizens could call if they are unsure, and when they call that number a whole series of things would kick in to being making them more safe with police response as well as reaching out to the specific utility to see if there should be someone there,” James said. 

For now the utilities say if there’s a question about the vaildity of a utility worker who has come to your door, call 911.