DSP Investigating Impersonation of DFS Workers in Dover
An investigation is underway in Dover after an incident Friday morning when three suspects went to a home claiming to be caseworkers from child protective services. Delaware State Police say a woman and two men contacted a resident on South Old Mill Road and were from child protective services – and were there to check on the welfare of her children. No credentials or proof of identification were shown and the woman refused to show the resident the paperwork she had, except for the child’s name. The two men wore holstered handguns and took pictures of the vehicle in the driveway. The resident was suspicious and said she was going to call the police – and the suspects ran off. DFS confirmed they had not sent any caseworkers to that address.
The suspects were described as follows:
Suspect #1: White female, 30 years of age, wearing a blue suit and operating a white, Nissan sedan.
Suspect #2: Middle aged white male, wearing an all-black button down shirt.
Suspect #3: Black male, 20 years of age, light complexion, wearing a black short sleeved shirt, black pants and a black baseball cap. Both male suspects fled in a black, Chevrolet Tahoe.
All Delaware Division of Family Services employees will produce an official State of Delaware issued photo ID card when on official business. If necessary you can ask for a supervisors name and then call the DFS hotline at 800-292-9582 to verify the employee’s identity and authenticity of the visit.
Keep in mind that in Delaware this agency is known as DFS or Division of Family Services not CPS (Child Protective Services) as it is known in other states. An actual State of Delaware employee will not identify themselves as being from Child Protective Services.
The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call Troop 3 at 302-698-8453. Information may also be provided by calling Delaware crime stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333 or via the internet at http://www.delaware.
Whether it be an incident similar to this, or any other suspicious or criminal activity, the Delaware State Police would like to stress the importance of suspicious activity reporting. Be a good witness for your neighbors and fellow citizens, as you would want them to do the same for you. Pay attention and be aware to what is going on in your neighborhood, and other places that you frequent throughout the course of your day.
If you See Something-Say Something, by reporting all suspicious activity to your local law enforcement agency.
