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Brooklyn, NY – Police were searching for a man who has been preyed on Brooklyn homeowners by posing as a Department of Environmental Protection inspector.
Police said he has struck six times over the past month-and-a-half, threatening to shut off the water to the homes if the owners don’t pay up.
Many of his targets have reportedly been elderly women.
He’s described as a dark-skinned man in his 40s or 50s, between 5-feet-6-inches and 6-feet tall.
He was seen wearing a black baseball cap, a button-down shirt with a tie, and carrying a black messenger’s bag.
The Department of Environmental Protection said homeowners who are approached by someone claiming to be an inspector can ask for an agency phone number to confirm that there is a visit scheduled.
DEP officials said employees who are authorized to enter homes must carry photo I.D. cards and badges, always wear uniforms and never ask for cash payments.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS or send a text to “Crimes” and then enter TIP577.
With the rising number of summonses issued by Sanitation Dep’t “Inspectors” for imagined violations (i.e.: “Did observe [candy] wrappers on sidewalk”), it’s no wonder some people (especially the elderly) are susceptible to intimidation by criminals! When bureaucrats are given excessive power it hurts the population. We’re becoming almost like Israel where every bureaucrat wields excessive power. Where even the Police can call up any resident to come over to the station for an investigation! It did, in fact happen, that someone pulled a stunt of this kind, calling over [innocent ] residents, where they were told that it was a prank!