Cable Man? Maybe Not – Beware of Scams

Only one instance has been reported or made available to the public so far, but residents should be on the lookout for someone posing as a cable service man but who might really be casing your property or trying commit identity theft.

According to a police report:

At 3:15 p.m. Thursday, a resident of the 2300 block of North 81st Street called police to report a suspicious character who had come to his door claiming to be an investigator from Time Warner Cable, looking for stolen cable service.

The homeowner told the stranger he did not subscribe to Time Warner and was not stealing cable from anyone.

The suspect then asked the homeowner for his Social Security number, supposedly to check against a company database. When he refused to give it, the man left in an older blue Ford Taurus sedan.

The resident described the man as black, 5-feet 8-inches tall, 160 to 170 pounds, with a dark complexion, short black hair, wearing blue jeans and a blue jacket with Time Warner written on it.

The resident contacted Time Warner and was told they had no one in the field in that area and no one investigating stolen cable service anywhere at the time. The resident told police he believes the man was either casing his house for a possible burglary or attempting to steal his identification.