Utility Emails Worker Pics As Safety Measure

A utility in Connecticut is trying a new method to shore up consumer safety, emailing customers a picture of the utility worker who will be visiting their home for an appointment.

"Connecticut Water Co. wants to make it less likely that you’ll allow into your home a criminal posing as a utility worker, so the company is now offering to email customers pictures whenever an appointment is made for a home visit," Patch reported.

The policy was prompted by an event two years ago when an elderly couple was robbed by thieves posing as utility workers, according to Eric Thornburg, Connecticut Water’s president and CEO.

"That incident really troubled us and we decided we needed to do more to give our customers more information to protect themselves from imposters posing as water company employees," he said, per a statement.

Public officials commended the program. Connecticut Consumer Protection Department Commissioner Jonathan Harris called it an "important effort."

This utility is hardly alone in facing this problem. American Water utilities have active programs in place to educate customers about the issue. Pennsylvania American Water executed a "don't open the door unless you're sure" campaign.

"Be vigilant, and don’t get fooled by utility imposters!" the campaign says. "It is extremely rare for water company personnel to show up at a customer’s home without an appointment. However, if a utility worker comes to your door and you are not expecting them, DO NOT let them inside without proper identification."

And in Hillsboro, OR, police are warning the public "to be safe and be aware of activity by utility worker impostors [after] police received a report of two male suspects who gained access to a water customer's residence by posing as employees," The Oregonian reported.

The local Hillsboro water department and the Tualatin Valley Water District headed up outreach to ratepayers, explaining how to identify if a person is truly a water employee.

"[They both said] their employees drive vehicles with utility logos displaying state-exempt license plates, carry identification and usually wear uniforms. The utilities also said employees will never ask to enter a home without a prior appointment," the report said.

For more on consumer safety, visit Water Online’s Consumer Outreach Solutions Center.