Aurora police give warning about utility worker scams

A man claiming to be from a cable company attempted to enter an Aurora woman's home earlier this week, prompting a reminder from police about checking the identity of workers who come to residents doors.

Residents should be wary of offenders who attempt to enter homes and steal items by posing as utility workers or home repair workers, authorities said. These offenders often work in teams, with the first “worker distracting the resident and another “worker later entering through the unlocked door.

In an incident Tuesday in the 2600 block of Carriage Way on the city's far east side, a Hispanic male about 5 feet 9 inches tall and wearing a utility belt knocked on a 34-year-old woman's door and said he needed to enter the basement to check the cable service.

The man did not have a cable company identification card, so the woman shut the door and called police.

Aurora police encourage residents to keep a locked screen door between themselves and strangers who come to their doors and to call police whenever a visitor seems suspicious.