As a local business with roots in the community, it has recently been brought to our attention that there is a male and female in the Lower Moreland area claiming to be fire marshals. They are contacting businesses by phone and stating they wish to inspect either your fire extinguishers or your fire alarm, or both.
Here’s the Scam: the two are contacting business owners, setting up appointments, and coming on-site to the business location. The two are allegedly clipping off legitimate inspection tags, putting their own counterfeit tags on the extinguishers and/or alarms, and charging owners for the service. It’s the definition of a double whammy: not only are you being charged for having a fake tag put on your fire extinguisher, but it’s also a fineable offense to not have a valid inspection tag supplied by the township or municipality in which you do business on your fire extinguisher.
Remember, only the fire department has the enforcement authority to regulate Fire Code requirements. Whether or not you do business in Lower Moreland, if someone wants to come out and inspect your business for any reason, it is good practice to call your township or municipality to verify their identity and authority. Be sure to alert employees of this situation as well, as it seems plausible the couple may target businesses on the weekends when owners/managers may not be physically present.
If you suspect these two, or either of them individually, are trying to run this fire extinguisher/alarm scam on you or are seeking to inspect your business for ANY reason, you or your employees should immediately call the Township to check on them.
Legal Disclaimer: The contents of this website are intended solely for informational purposes. They neither constitute nor imply an official legal opinion on behalf of Howland, Hess, Guinan, Torpey, Cassidy and O’Connell nor do they establish an attorney-client relationship of any kind. Howland Hess O’Connell encourages all readers to seek and consult professional counsel before acting upon the information contained on this site.
Here’s the Scam: the two are contacting business owners, setting up appointments, and coming on-site to the business location. The two are allegedly clipping off legitimate inspection tags, putting their own counterfeit tags on the extinguishers and/or alarms, and charging owners for the service. It’s the definition of a double whammy: not only are you being charged for having a fake tag put on your fire extinguisher, but it’s also a fineable offense to not have a valid inspection tag supplied by the township or municipality in which you do business on your fire extinguisher.
Remember, only the fire department has the enforcement authority to regulate Fire Code requirements. Whether or not you do business in Lower Moreland, if someone wants to come out and inspect your business for any reason, it is good practice to call your township or municipality to verify their identity and authority. Be sure to alert employees of this situation as well, as it seems plausible the couple may target businesses on the weekends when owners/managers may not be physically present.
If you suspect these two, or either of them individually, are trying to run this fire extinguisher/alarm scam on you or are seeking to inspect your business for ANY reason, you or your employees should immediately call the Township to check on them.
Legal Disclaimer: The contents of this website are intended solely for informational purposes. They neither constitute nor imply an official legal opinion on behalf of Howland, Hess, Guinan, Torpey, Cassidy and O’Connell nor do they establish an attorney-client relationship of any kind. Howland Hess O’Connell encourages all readers to seek and consult professional counsel before acting upon the information contained on this site.
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