Buckhead Home Invader Dressed as GA Power Worker: Police

Atlanta police are looking for three black males who forced their way into a Buckhead apartment under false pretenses and robbed two occupants at gunpoint on Wednesday morning.

Two people were inside a fourth-floor apartment in the 700 block of Morgoso Drive at 8 a.m. when someone knocked on the door. When the resident asked who was knocking, a man outside said they were with Georgia Power and needed to fix a gas leak. The resident looked out through the peep hole and saw a man wearing a hard hatand a Georgia Power shirt, according to an Atlanta police report.

When the victim opened the door, three men burst through the doorway and subdued the victims. The man dressed like a Georgia Power employee was armed, the report said. The victims were bound with zip ties and their mouths were taped shut, while the invaders looked for things to steal. The victims’ cell phones and a laptop were put in a sink and the faucet turned on.

The men left the home with a Rolex, an Apple watch, $5,000 cash, and a $2,000 money order, the report said. It wasn’t known if the men fled the area in a vehicle as the invasion occurred in a fourth-floor apartment.

The victims described the so-called Georgia Power employee as a black male in his late to mid 20’s who wore a white construction hat, a white GA Power shirt, and carried a toolbox. A second man was described as a heavy-set black man in his late 20’s wearing a striped polo short. The victims did not get a good view of the third black man.

If you have any information about the incident on Wednesday morning, please contact Crime Stoppers Greater Atlanta by calling 404-577-TIPS (8477), texting “CSA Tip” to CRIMES (274637), or by submitting a tip online. All tips can be made anonymously.

Georgia Power has released the following statement concerning Wednesday morning’s incident:

In light of today’s media reports of a possible attempted home invasion at an Atlanta apartment complex by persons identifying themselves as Georgia Power employees, the company is reminding customers of its processes and procedures for visiting their homes and businesses. Georgia Power works with local law enforcement to investigate and prosecute any individuals impersonating company employees to commit criminal acts.

Georgia Power does not send employees into the field to collect payment in person and will not ask a customer to pay anywhere other than a business office or authorized payment location.

If an employee needs to visit a customer’s home or business for a service-related issue, they will be in uniform and present a badge with a photo, their name and the Georgia Power name and logo. They will also be in a vehicle marked with the Georgia Power logo.

If customers suspect a visitor to their home or place of business is impersonating a Georgia Power employee, the company recommends that the customer:

· Call local police or 911 immediately.

· Call Georgia Power at 1-888-660-5890 to verify the employee’s ID.

· DO NOT let the individual inside your home or business.

· DO NOT go outside with the individual.

· DO NOT provide them with your account number or any personal or financial information.

For more information, please visit www.georgiapower.com/scam.