It's all too easy for strangers to pose as the real deal.
A brazen home invasion in Brooklyn, New York, earlier this week is a reminder to many to be careful letting delivery workers into your home, because they might not be who they say they are.
Impersonating delivery workers or repair personnel is surprisingly easy to do and many similar outfits are available online.
Inside Edition’s Steven Fabian hit the streets of New York City in costume to show how easy it is to convince some people into thinking he's a mail carrier.
Fabian found a $19.99 mail carrier Halloween costume at Party City, which included a vest with a postal carrier logo, a hat with the same logo and a mail bag.
“If a person isn't paying attention, you'd think I was a real mailman,” he said.
Fabian also donned an outfit consisting of brown slacks and a brown work shirt, saying, “I could also easily pass for a UPS worker in this brown shirt, pants and cap.”
Security expert Steve Kardian also posed as a utility worker, showing just how easy it is to persuade homeowner’s they’re the real deal.
"You have some major water pressure problems,” Kardian told one woman who let him right inside the home.
But another person he visited was a lot more suspicious and did the right thing asking for identification.
Kardian has advice for people expecting a delivery or opening their homes to delivery workers.
"Make sure their uniform conforms to what you're used to seeing; make sure they have identification that says who they are. And take a peek and make sure the vehicle is out there, if there's any question, contact the company,” he said.
Kardian says if you're expecting a package, ask for delivery alerts.
"You want to follow the tracking,” he said. “They can send you an alert from the time it goes out to the anticipated delivery. You can do it by email, and you can do it by text.”
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