Man arrested in utility-worker scam Police say the elderly were the prey, and officers arrested a suspect who forced his way into a home.

Two police detectives nabbed a man who forced his way into an elderly Rhawnhurst couple's home yesterday afternoon after knocking on their door and posing as a Philadelphia Water Department employee.

The suspect was wearing a hat and sunglasses, carrying a clipboard, and displaying some sort of formal-looking identification, said Deputy Commissioner William Blackburn.

Detectives James Arentzen and Maggie Castro of Major Crimes were patrolling the neighborhood in response to several recent robberies involving a man posing as a utility employee, Blackburn said.

The detectives, who focus on crimes against the elderly and scam artists, spotted the suspect around 1:30 p.m.

They watched as he went to the home of an 83-year-old man and a 74-year-old woman in the 1800 block of Rhawn Street. He told the victims he was there to check their water, Blackburn said.

With the detectives watching, the suspect forced his way into the home. The detectives immediately arrested the man. Police were still trying to identify the suspect yesterday, who was described to be in his early 60s.

He was not armed, and the victims were not harmed.

Blackburn did not know how many similar robberies had occurred recently, but he said they had been on the rise.

"Obviously, investigators are going to be focusing on this individual," he said.

Blackburn said crooks' posing as utility employees was a "common ruse," and he urged the public to be cautious. "When someone knocks on your door . . . ask for identification."

Contact staff writer Troy Graham at 215-854-2730 or tgraham@phillynews.com.