The Wilmington Police Department recently had an incident of two individuals gaining access to a home posing as Water Department Employees. Several other area towns have had similar incidents. A Wilmington resident called 911 after two men came to the residence posing as contractors for the Water Department. They told the resident that they needed to do an emergency check of the water for lead contamination. In other cases, the males approach the resident and said that there was a water break in the area and that the resident’s water meter needed to be reset. These individuals will work together to attempt to distract the resident so the group may split up and gain access to the rest of the home.
The Town of Wilmington Water Department employee’s operate town owned, clearly marked vehicles. If an individual approaches your residence or stops to ask questions regarding any utilities or permits, please ask for official town issued identification or call the Wilmington Police Department to verify whether the person is affiliated with the town. You may also contact the Wilmington Department of Public Works at 978-658-4481 during normal business hours. In almost all cases, the Town of Wilmington will notify residents if Water Department employees need to gain access to a residence prior to the visit.
Elderly residents are most often the targets of these types of scams. We want to ask our residents to take a moment to speak with elderly parents and neighbors so they are on the alert for this type of unscrupulous activity.