Thieves Pose as Village Employees to Rob Homes

Supervisor of water plant operations Frederick Booher gave a warning to Mineola residents Wednesday night – look out for thieves posing as village employees. 

Several weeks ago a man posed as a water department employee and "gained access to the home for purposes of checking the water pressure."  The impersonator robbed the house while the homeowner, a senior citizen, was running water for him.

"The man said he was going out to his truck and would be right back, and he never returned," Booher said.  The thief made off with an unknown amount of cash and jewelry.

Any employee asking for access to the home should be cause for alarm. "Most of our water meters - in fact 99-percent of them - we can read from outside the house," Booher said. "There's no need for us to go inside."

Booher reminded residents of the importance of properly identifying any village employees trying to enter the home. Any utility worker or village official should be in uniform and carrying an imprinted photo ID with the village seal. Residents should also be notified any time a village employee is coming to their house.

"We'll send a letter to that person or that business, make an appointment with them…before we go into the house," Booher said.  The address of the residence that was robbed was not listed on the water department meter checklist.

According to Mayor Jack Martins these types of incidents have only happened two or three times in his seven and a half years of tenure. "If it happens from time to time, it's going to be in those sporadic opportunities where people try to take advantage of somebody who may be vulnerable," Martins said. Booher said he had never encountered a case like this before. 

The Mayor hopes that the incident will "remind people that sometimes the person at the door is not who he or she represents themself to be."

Residents are advised to verify the individual's identity by calling the company they claim to be from before allowing access to their home. "You don't have to let anybody in your house that you feel uncomfortable letting in," Booher said. Residents should also contact the village or the police if they feel uneasy about any individual or notice anything suspicious.