Philly official moves to prevent phony utility workers from preying on seniors [video]

Responding to reports of phony utility workers trying to infiltrate the home of unsuspecting people in Philadelphia, a city councilman is calling for a hearing.

Councilman Curtis Jones introduced a resolution for a hearing because he says too many people are being victimized by the impostors.

“We’re talking about seniors who have been hit pretty hard with municipal workers,” Jones said. “Whether it’s the gas works, the water department, or electric company impersonators, entering homes under the guise of checking the meters and then victimizing our seniors.”

The councilman says his goal is to remove doubt from the minds of residents when they question the validity of a utility worker.

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“So we want to take a look at that to see what type of identification is used, what kinds of verification countermeasures can be enacted,” Jones said. “So that if someone has a doubt about a person’s ID, they can immediately call a supervisor to verify these people are who they say they are and that they work for the utility company in question.”

A hearing date has not been set.

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