News Nearby: Scam Artist Tells Business Owner He is Working with Fire Department

A Peters Township business was scammed out of cash by a man claiming to be a representative for a fire extinguisher company working closely with the local fire department, according to a police report.

 have provided photos of the "heavyset" suspect above. Peters police also said they know he has targeted another business in the city of Pittsburgh. 

"There's no new code, no new deal," Deputy Chief Noel "Mac" McMullen of the  told  owner Tim Warne after Warne realized he had been the victim of a scam. 

The report was made at 2:59 p.m. after a man visited the McMurray bakery on Wednesday, claiming he was a representative of a fire extinguisher company and worked closely with the PTFD.

"Basically, he got the cashier to give him $300 for services he said he performed on the extinguishers," McMullen said. 

According to police, the man left with $298.75.

McMullen said no other businesses have been targeted as of yet, and said he wanted to try to prevent businesses from being "bilked out of cash."

"The man claimed he worked hand-in-hand with the PTFDand the fire marshal," he said. "He even made a phone call from the business to owner Tim (Warne), convincing him he was legitimate." 

McMullen said Peters Township business owners should know that no new program requiring an inspection has been put into place, and that this was a scam.

If you recognize the man in the photos above, please contact Peters police at 724-942-5030.

Correction: In an earlier version of this story, the amount given by the cashier to the suspect was incorrect.

Andrea Bosco is the local editor for Peters Patch.

Has your business been targeted? Have you had any problems? Please sign in with your real name and leave a comment or email Editor Cindy Cusic Micco at cindy.micco@patch.com.