Shelby Township home robbed by imposter water worker

SHELBY TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A man posing as a water department worker talked his way into and then robbed a Shelby Township home.

The man told homeowners there was an emergency and he needed to check the water for poison.

He walked around the house checking taps while talking on a cell phone. Police believe he was directing an accomplice to enter the home when he was in the basement with the homeowners.

After he left, the couple discovered they were missing jewelry and cash worth about $10,000.

The local neighborhood association has alerted homeowners like Dennis Rossi, who says he's already careful about conmen posing as utility workers.

"If they're not wearing ID, I don't answer the door," Rossi said.

Remember, real water department workers drive clearly marked vehicles, wear uniform shirts with the department logo, and they carry identification cards.

Police are looking for a white man in his 50s. He has black, straight, short hair, and a mustache. He was wearing a red shirt and dark pants.