City residents warned about 'water department' imposter
Share with others:
A man posing as a "water department" worker Wednesday in Lawrenceville has prompted the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority to issue a warning about imposters.
"We are very troubled by this report," Jim Good, interim executive director, said Thursday in a statement.
Bona fide field workers for the authority wear a uniform and carry photo identification. Their vehicles are marked with "P.W.S.A." and have blue-and-white municipal license plates.
The incident that caused alarm occurred between noon and 1 p.m. Wednesday in the 5700 block of Butler Street. A man calling himself a "water department" worker knocked on the door of an elderly woman and asked to come in to check her water pressure.
The man was wearing a blue jacket and blue pants and was talking on a radio, the water authority said. He threatened to shut off the resident's water if she would not let him in. The woman took the man to her basement, where he claimed to be checking her pressure, the authority said.
He told the woman to count slowly to six and then left.
The incident was reported to police, who are investigating.
To verify the credentials of a water authority worker, call 412- 255-2429 or 412-255-2409. Those phone lines are staffed 24 hours a day.
First Published January 25, 2013 12:00 am
