Thieves Pose as PECO Workers: Cops

Philadelphia Police are searching for four people who they say burglarized South Philadelphia homes while posing as PECO utility workers.

The incidents occurred last week on the 1800 block of South 15th Street as well as on the 300 block of Ritner.

“They don’t give a d***,” said one of the victims, an elderly man. “They go make a buck, they figure they won’t get caught and probably nine times out of ten, people don’t report it.”

The victim who lives on Ritner says a man and a woman knocked on his door last Thursday claiming they were with PECO and needed to check on faulty outlets. He claims the man showed him an I.D. and he let the two in. The woman then stayed with the victim while the man walked around the house and at some point made his way upstairs, according to investigators. After the two left, the victim says he realized the jar where he keeps his change was cut and his twenty dollar bills were missing. The thieves also allegedly looked through his drawers and stole money he kept in an envelope. In all the victim says they made off with $1,000.

Police say two men, also claiming to be PECO workers, targeted the home on South 15th Street.
A spokeswoman for PECO says their workers always wear a uniform and are required to carry a badge with their name on it.

“By and large we will reach out to customers ahead of time and let them know we’re going to be in their area,” said Liz Williamson of PECO.

Police believe both incidents are related. They say the suspects are three black males and a white female ranging in ages from 30 to 50. They also say one of the suspects carried a notepad with a PECO label on it.