Update: SDG&E Logs 4 Incidents of Imposters Involved in Home Burglaries

Updated at 3:45 p.m. Feb. 24, 2012

San Diego Gas & Electric Co. is working with police to identify who might be posing as utility workers to burglarize homes, a spokeswoman said Friday.

Four incidents of SDG&E imposters have been reported by La Mesa and San Diego police, according to Allison Zaragoza, the spokeswoman.

In a phone interview, Zaragoza said two incidents were in La Mesa, one in Pacific Beach and one in another San Diego neighborhood—Bay Park.

She said SDG&E was working with the San Diego Police Department on burglaries linked to imposters, with similar descriptions.

Original story from Feb. 23, 2012

La Mesa police on Thursday said people posing as San Diego Gas & Electric Co. or “City Inspector’s Office” workers are burglarizing local homes.

Police Lt. Matt Nicholass says one incident occurred about 3 p.m. Feb. 16, when a resident in the 5800 block of Kappa Drive was contacted by someone claiming he was an SDG&E worker and needed to examine the electrical breaker box. 

“While the victim was distracted with the alleged SDG&E worker, another subject(s) burglarized the residence,” Nicholass said. 

On Friday, SDG&E added its own warning—“alerting customers to be aware of a person or persons who have recently posed as a SDG&E employee and asked to enter a customer’s home.”

In a press release (attached), the utility said:  “It has been reported that the imposter will distract unsuspecting customers while performing ‘routine inspections,’ while another imposter burglarizes the home.”

It was unclear how many incidents involved an SDG&E imposter.

“SDG&E wants to assure all customers that all SDG&E employees carry the proper identification when called out to any job and is warning customers to ensure they verify the employee’s proper uniform and identification before letting anyone in your home,” the utility said.

About 7 p.m. Tuesday,  “a subject contacted a resident in the 5900 block of Cowles Mountain Boulevard and claimed he was from the ‘City Inspector’s Office’ and that there was a gas leak in the yard.  The subject kept the resident distracted while another subject(s) burglarized the residence,” Nicholass said.

The fraudulent service worker in the Kappa Drive case was described as a white male adult, 5 foot 3 inches, 150 pounds, with a  ponytail to the middle of his back, and spoke Spanish.  He was wearing a brown jacket, khaki pants, and had an earpiece in his ear with a wire down the back of his shirt. 

The worker in the burglary on Cowles Mountain Boulevard was described as a white or Hispanic man in his late 20s, 5 foot 10 inches, 160 pounds and thin. 

“He was wearing a hat with “City Inspector” written on the front, beige plaid long sleeved shirt, and a name badge around his neck.  He was carrying a clipboard.  A white ‘boxy SUV’ was seen in the area at the time of the burglary,” Nicholass said. 

Police say residents should always ask to verify the identity of a service worker by asking to see their employee photo identification card. 

If a resident is still uncertain the subject is an employee, they can call the appropriate agency to verify their purpose and identity. 

The following numbers are available as a reference:

City of La Mesa (619-463-6611), Helix Water District (619-466-0585), SDG&E (800-411-7343)  and AT&T (800-288-2020).