SEATTLE — Seattle police say a man posing as a plumber is targeting elderly women stealing their cash, credit cards, and ID's.
Ginny Anderson, 85, is one of the victims."I knew he was a con man but I felt very vulnerable," said Anderson.Seattle police said since January at least five women were either ripped off or approached by the man in West Seattle and South Seattle.The ages of the victims range from 76 to 91 years old.In most of the cases the man says he's working on a broken water main nearby and needs to check if plumbing in the house is impacted."I was positive that this was just a story," said Anderson.In her case, he turned on her faucets to make sure they were running then used it as a distraction to go through her drawers to steal $300 cash.The man has also been known to pose as a Fox Plumbing worker.Fox Plumbing company president, David Brown said the description of the man did not match any of his employees.He also noted that Fox's technicians will never arrive at a home without contacting them first.Zach Miller is a licensed plumber with Wezee's Plumbing in Seattle and says that homeowners can simply ask a plumber for their license if they need to."It looks something like this you're required to have it on you at all times," said Miller.Seattle police are still working to identify the suspect.Police say if you think you've encountered him, call 911.
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