Philadelphia police warn of phony L&I inspector

KENSINGTON (WPVI) -- Authorities are warning Philadelphians in Kensington and Hunting Park to beware of a man posing as an inspector for Licenses and Inspections.

The latest incident happened around noon Tuesday in the 700 block of West Annsbury.

Police say a man with a clipboard appeared at Stephen Geraci's doorstep inquiring about a burned out home on his block that was scheduled to be demolished.

As a result, he told him that some of the railing on his property was going to have to come down.

"And I said, I'd like to keep that.' and he said, 'We'll have to rip it out,' but he said, 'if you offer me $91,' I can keep that," Geraci said. "He sounded just like an L&I person."

So Geraci gave him $91 cash thinking the man was going to come back and do the work.

But then his neighbor told him he heard about a scam going around and called the office of Councilwoman Maria Quinones Sanchez who confirmed it.

"Sanchez office said, 'That's the guy, fits like a 'T.' So the guy's been around," Geraci said.

Indeed, L&I Commissioner Carlton Williams confirms the imposter has struck at least two other times in recent days: in the 2300 block of Emerald on Monday and the 3500 block of Jasper.

"We're deeply concerned about this because, obviously, this is the season where a lot of criminals use any type of activity to gain access to people's homes," Williams said.

The imposter is described as a black male in his early to mid-50s, balding on top, weighing about 180 to 190 pounds, and a height of about 5'8 to 5'9.

"They should ask for a proper identification, a photo ID, and a business card from L&I. Secondly, the department never asks for money," Williams said.

Anyone who sees a man fitting his description should call 911.

"He's very good, I have to say that cause if it was something suspicious, I would have asked more questions," Geraci said.