Dearborn Police: Men Posing as Water Employees Strike Again

Dearborn police believe that another incident involving men posing as city employees to gain entry into resident’s homes to steal from them is related to an incident earlier this week.

On Oct. 17, an 89-year-old homeowner on the 7500 block of Anthony Street was tricked into letting two men into her home. The men, who were described as Arab and in their 30s, told the woman they were worked for the water department, and needed to check her water from inside the home. Once inside, they demanded she pay a water bill, and when the victim retrieved the payment from a safe, they took all of the money in the safe.

The latest incident occurred at 2 p.m. Oct. 19 on the city’s northeast end. According to police reports, two or three men described as possibly Hispanic and in their 40s or 50s tried to gain entry to a home, but failed to do so. The homeowner quickly notified police.

At the time of the first incident, Dearborn Police Lt. Dennis Topolski said he believed the incident was a repeat of one that occurred in Detroit, in the Warrendale neighborhood.

In both incidents, a white Ford Edge was seen leaving the scenes, according to police.

Dearborn Police Chief Ron Haddad said elderly residents have been vulnerable to this scam, and that people need to ask for ID from anyone that contends they work for the city, or from the public utilities.

“Utility companies do not go to resident’s homes and collect cash payments,” Haddad said. “Residents should contact the police immediately if someone comes to your home requesting cash payments.  All utility company employees should have proper identification."

No arrests have been made in either case. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Dearborn Police Tip line at 313-943-3012.