SMITHFIELD — The Smithfield fire chief is warning residents not to be fooled into letting people onto their property or into their homes after three older teenagers posed as members of the town’s Fire Department. The teens, in a red pickup truck, reportedly went to a woman’s home asking to look around the property and the house.

Smithfield Fire Chief Jack Easler said he thinks the teens were considering the place for a possible robbery or burglary later.

“They said they were from the Smithfield Fire Department, but they actually weren’t,” Easler said by phone Friday. “I guess they were scoping around her house and she thought it was suspicious, so she gave me a call; and I said, ‘No, they weren’t from here.'”

Easler said he has spoken to many people about the incident, cautioning them to be careful who they let onto their property.

“I told them not to let people walk around their properties; don’t let them in their house or anything,” he said. “If you see anything suspicious like that, give me a call. I live just down the road, and I’ll be there in a matter of a couple minutes.”

Nichole Clark, administrative assistant for the town of Smithfield, said she also sent out emails to members of the community to alert them to the possible scam.

Others picked up the email and posted it on social media.

“This is not our fire department and the sheriff and State Police are being notified by the fire chief,” Clark wrote in the message.

She said Friday by phone that the email “worked quite well.”

“It got around fast,” she said. “Our community cares and got the info out.”

Doug Harlow — 612-2367

dharlow@centralmaine.com

Twitter:@Doug_Harlow