He claims to be a cable guy, but he is not. A scammer is making the rounds in Lorain, impersonating a Time Warner employee, according to people who say he's taken their money.
"He was really hustling out there," Lois Barnett told News 5.
Barnett said she thought she was getting a great deal when a man, claiming to be from Time Warner, showed up at her door and offered to set her up with bundled service.
"I told the guy, ok. I want the Internet. And he said ok, I can give you the Internet and the cable. I gave him 200 dollars in cash," she said.
The deal turned out to be too good to be true.
"Me and my man were watching TV. Cut off," she said.
Barnett told News 5 she called Time Warner.
"When the cable man came to get the equipment, he said the equipment is obsolete. They don't even use that equipment no more... I was stealing cable and didn't know it. I could have been in big trouble," Barnett said, adding that Time Warner was understanding.
"He said other people been scammed in the area."
Lorain Police Detective Jacob Morris told News 5, as scams become more and more common, there are red flags you need to look out for.
"Having to pay in cash or having to pay right then? Those are things that should raise those red flags," Morris said.
Time Warner Cable sent News 5 this statement in regards to the incident:
“All Charter/Time Warner Cable technicians and contractors are required to arrive in a vehicle with the company logo clearly displayed, wear a company-logoed uniform, present their company badge/ID upon arrival into the residence, and provide customers paperwork to sign electronically once services are completed. If someone feels they are a target of a scam where a person is posing as a company technician, they are encouraged to immediately report the matter to Charter/Time Warner Cable and contact local authorities.”
Update: Lorain Police have received no other reports or formal complaints in regards to this issue. Time Warner has addressed this with their investigations team.
