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CENTRAL POINT Police urge caution after men enter home Two men claiming to be water inspectors pushed their way inside Comment By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Posted Feb. 27, 2015 at 2:56 PM Updated Feb 27, 2015 at 3:10 PM By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Posted Feb. 27, 2015 at 2:56 PM Updated Feb 27, 2015 at 3:10 PM » Social News Central Point Police are encouraging residents to be vigilant after two men claiming to be water inspectors Tuesday pushed their way into the home of a retired couple in their 80s on Bursell Road. Police said the men, dressed in orange vests and driving a white, unmarked pickup truck, knocked on the door of Orpha and Don Thumler. When Orpha Thumler answered the door, the men push their way inside. "They said they were checking on the pipes," Orpha Thumler recalled. "When they saw it was just me, they just pushed their way in." Almost immediately, the men began acting suspiciously, looking in drawers and wandering around the house, so Orpha Thumler summoned her husband, who was resting in a back bedroom. Before learning that the husband was home, one of the men told Orpha Thumler to "stay in the kitchen," she said. "I was laying down in the back bedroom listening to the news and my wife came in and said, 'Get out here. Some guys want to check the water for some reason. They want to look at our pipes,' " he said. "They seemed kind of surprised I was home. At first I said, 'Well, OK, there's the sink right there.' Something didn't seem right, so finally I said, 'I think I need to see your paperwork or some identification.' They said it was outside in the truck and they would go get it. They got in the truck and drove off." As the men left, the couple noticed the truck didn't have license plates. Central Point Police captain Brian Day said scams aimed at retired people are not uncommon. One of the men who forced their way into the Thumler residence was described as white and the other appeared to be Hispanic. Both were in their mid 30s with short-cropped hair, police said. Day said his department responded to the Thumler residence immediately and put out a dispatch for the vehicle. "It's clearly not legal to go into somebody's house with intent to commit a crime. The hard part is there's no crime until something happens, but they were very fortunate that nothing did happen," Day said. "The hard part is, with cons, they could be knocking on a number of doors. If someone seems like they would be hard to manipulate, they might just say they're mowing lawns or say, 'Is this the so-and-so residence?' and give a false name. When they find someone who answers the door that they feel comfortable manipulating, then they pull whatever they've gone there to do." Medford Water Commission officials said Friday that inspectors were conducting back-flow testing in the area, but proper identification and paperwork is presented at each residence. Vehicles are also clearly marked. Don Thumler said he felt fortunate his wife was not home alone. "It's a real good thing she wasn't home alone. Criminals have a lot of guts when it comes to taking advantage of people," he said. "We just hope it doesn't happen to anyone else. We'll keep the door locked for sure, now." Buffy Pollock is a freelance writer living in Medford. Email her at [email protected]   By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Posted Feb. 27, 2015 at 2:56 PM Updated Feb 27, 2015 at 3:10 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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