A Tampa man said he was robbed this week after someone posing as a TECO employee passed by his house.
"Well he said he was working with TECO in partnership and they were going to put a fiber optics line and they want to check out the area," the man said.
The Tampa resident did not want his name used because he wants to protect himself after what happened Tuesday.
"He said is the misses there and I said no misses lives here, but my partner (is) in the house. Oh have him come out so I can tell him (and) tell you about this together," the man said.
They went to the side of the house.
"We were standing here and he was standing where you are and talking about putting a generator here and babbling away. The whole thing sounded fishy," the man said.
He said it became stranger when the imposter started receiving phone calls.
"Whoever was talking to him, was probably talking to him from the house," the man said.
Because when he and his partner returned home, some of his money, jewelry and social security card was missing.
"How would we fall for anything as stupid as that," he questioned.
The 89-year-old man contacted the Tampa Police Department who is now looking into it and urge people to contact them immediately if a similar incident has happened to them.
Cherie Jacobs, a spokesperson for Tampa Electric, said customers should not hesitate to ask for someone's credential if they claim they work for TECO.
"If someone works for Tampa Electric and they get asked to show their credentials, that's not an offensive question. Of course you want to make sure the people who are doing business with you are exactly who they say they are," Jacobs said.
Jacobs said all of their employees and contractors carry a badge."Ask to see their credentials. It has a picture, their name, and the company that they work for," Jacobs said.
You can also call Customer Service to verify someone's employment.
For the Customer Service number, go to http://www.tampaelectric.com/contact/.
The man said he asked for a business card and the name of the company, but never got a straight answer. He said he will ask for credentials next time.
"Whether they're selling something or not I'm just going to open the little window in the door instead of opening the whole door. But I've never had a problem living out here all these years like that," the man said.
