SaskPower 'scammer' RCMP warned of was actually legitimate SaskPower employee

An apparent"scammer" that RCMP had warned of last week actually was a SaskPower employee conducting legitimate business, according to an email from a SaskPowerspokesperson.

"The information we receivedfrom SaskPower was that they had no one in the area at the time," Cpl. Rob King said. He said that led policeto believe that the person was an imposter, sothat's why they issued a release.

On Sept. 23, RCMP sent a release sayinga well-dressed man, wearing a lanyard around his neck with an ID card attached to it, approached a home in Montmartre about 90 kilometres southeast of Reginaon themorning of Sept. 3.

According to police, he identified himself as a SaskPower employee and told the homeowners hehad received an email from them with a request to repair the outlets, lights and switches inside the home.

RCMP said the homeowners had not sent an email like that and refused him entry.

The man then told the residents he had made a mistake and quickly left the property in a brown SUV marked with SaskPower logos, the police release said.

At the time, RCMP said that they confirmed with SaskPower that the corporation only uses white vehicles in its fleet and that it didn't send the man to the home. As it turns out, the employee's car was dusty from driving on grid roads, so it looked brown.

"After looking further into the situation, we have determined this individual was in fact a SaskPower electrical inspector conducting legitimate business," a Tuesday afternoon statement fromJoel Cherry, a spokesperson for the Crown utility,said.

In a phone interview, Cherry said SaskPower had mistakenly told RCMP they didn't have anyone in the area at the time. He also said SaskPower wasn't contacted by the RCMP until Sept. 19.

"The inspector who was actually at the residence in Montmartre went on holiday afterward, and it took a few days before he heard through media reports that this had happened," Cherry said.

"He and his supervisor actually went out to the property and had a chat with the homeowner again just to reassure them that he was legit."

Cherry said SaskPower and the RCMP have spoken and want to make sure something like this doesn't happen again.