NEW YORK (WBCS 880) -- Police in Belleville, NJ are warning residents about a door-to-door water filter sales pitch that they say is a scam, according to CBS2.
Police say that a company called Community Water Check is claiming to be working in collaboration with the town to search for high lead in water. According to CBS2, undercover police officers watched a saleswoman tell a homeowner, in Spanish, that the town would reimburse her for part of the cost of a new water filtration system.
“Absolutely not. The township has no backing behind this,” Belleville Mayor Michael Melham told CBS2.
Melham also told CBS2 that he suspected the company was targeting Spanish-speaking residents, who they may feel are less likely to be in contact with town officials. He's also received reports of a salesperson wearing what looks like a government ID and claiming to be sent by the mayor.
A representative from the company told CBS2 that his company was legitimate, and that the salesperson needed to be retrained. But CBS2 reports that the company is not licensed in New Jersey and is not capable of lead testing.
Anyone who sees anyone soliciting for this system is encouraged to call the police.