Have You Seen This Man? Fake Fire Inspector Cons Restaurant: Cops

RYE, NY — Rye Police are asking the community to be on the lookout for a man investigators say scammed a local business out of $480 by pretending to be a fire inspector.

The man pictured in security footage being circulated by the Rye Police Department is believed to have walked away with the cash after convincing workers that he was performing a safety inspection. The man detectives are hoping to identify walked into Playa Bowls during the dinner rush, just after 6 p.m. on Friday and identified himself as a fire inspector, before briefly doing a "walk through" of the business.

Police say the unidentified man is not affiliated with the Rye Fire Department.

Investigators say the phony fire inspector then wrote two invoices, which a store employee paid with cash from the register. Police are hoping someone might recognize the man from security footage captured during the "inspection."

Anyone with information about the incident or about the identity of the man connected to the unusual con job are asked to contact the Rye Police Department at 914-967-1234.