Officials: Man impersonated electric worker to steal from Perryville tornado victims; only fraud case reported so far

Perryville, Missouri, police and Citizens Electric Corp. said a man impersonated a Citizens Electric representative to get close to the house of tornado victims.

An older couple said they went to their house, which was damaged by the tornado, to find a man in his late 50s or early 60s wearing a yellow vest, looking around their property, Perryville police public information officer Cpl. Jeri Cain said. The man’s car, a blue-gray 1985 or 1986 Ford Taurus, was parked in the couple’s driveway, Cain said.

The male homeowner asked what the man was doing, and he responded by asking for the homeowner’s name, Cain said. The man then gave the name of a man he was looking for and left the property, Cain said. The homeowners reported to police they thought some of their items were missing after the man left, Cain said.

The impersonator only gave his first name and the residents did not get a good look at the man’s license plate, Cain said. Police and sheriff’s deputies are asking for any help identify an older man driving a car of that description, Cain said.

Steve Elsea, Citizens Electric manager of member services, asked Perryville residents to ask any CEC worker to display corporation-issued identification. Any contractors working with CEC employees should be able to direct residents to a CEC employee who could show valid identification, Elsea said.

Cain said this is the only instance of fraudulent behavior that has been reported to law enforcement since the tornado damaged more than 100 homes Tuesday night in Perryville. Law enforcement has advised volunteers to sign up at the Perry Park Center and has posted gatekeepers to damaged areas to prevent people from preying on unsuspecting victims, Cain said.

However, Perry County law enforcement expects phony contractors or volunteers to try to steal money or items from victims and people donating to victims in the coming weeks.

“People who had their homes destroyed, their paperwork is from here to Indiana,” Cain said. “That’s all they need for identity theft.”

Law enforcement in Perry County is partnering with the Missouri Attorney General’s Office in an attempt to stop or arrest scammers, Cain said.

The attorney general’s office will provide resource materials in Perryville with tips on selecting reputable contractors, avoiding price gouging and protecting personal information, according to a news release.

“One of the biggest scams following disasters is fly-by-night ‘storm chasers’ who go door-to-door offering cleanup work,” Attorney General Josh Hawley wrote in the release. “Too often, these people insist on upfront payment, only to take the money and then disappear without doing the work.”

bkleine@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3644

Pertinent address:

800 City Park Lane, Perryville, Mo.