A man posing as a Kinetic High Speed Internet representative was spotted knocking on doors and photographing properties near the Joanna Store area of Morgantown on Thursday afternoon, and he was gone before officers could catch up with him. Caernarvon Township Police are now asking the public for help identifying him, saying he has no legitimate connection to the internet provider whose name he invoked.
According to NBC10 Philadelphia, the man was seen around 1:16 p.m. Thursday going door to door in the Morgantown, Berks County neighborhood near the Joanna Store, claiming he represented Kinetic High Speed Internet while taking photos of homes in the area. Police described him as being in his 30s, with a tattoo on his right forearm that appears to depict a flower. Officials said he left the area before officers arrived, and the outlet reports that Kinetic has confirmed he is not affiliated with the company.
The Caernarvon Township Police Department posted surveillance images from the encounter to its CRIMEWATCH portal, pinpointing the activity to the area of 1102 Elverson Road near Joanna Store, and confirming officers responded to reports of the door-knocking and unauthorized photography at that time. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 610-286-1012, option 2.
No Permit, No Badge, No Legitimate Business
The stakes go beyond a single odd encounter. Under Caernarvon Township Ordinance No. 2018-293, every transient retail business and door-to-door solicitor operating in the township is required to obtain a municipal permit and display a badge, according to Caernarvon Township Government. Township records confirmed zero active solicitation permits had been issued as of Thursday, meaning whoever was photographing homes that afternoon was not operating within any legal framework the township recognizes. The ordinance replaced an older 1969 peddling law specifically to shield residents from fraudulent door-to-door schemes.
If the man is identified, Pennsylvania law offers prosecutors more than one path. Falsely pretending to be an employee of a private business to gain access to residential property is a second-degree misdemeanor under 18 Pa.C.S. § 4115, per Justia Law. Separately, falsely asserting official authority to induce someone's reliance can trigger penalties of up to two years in prison and a $5,000 fine under 18 Pa.C.S. § 4912, according to the Pennsylvania General Assembly.
Why Kinetic's Name Made an Easy Cover Story
Kinetic Broadband supplies DSL and fiber coverage to roughly 76% to 79% of households in Morgantown, according to BroadbandNow — a dominant market position that would make a resident more likely to open the door for someone claiming to represent the company. Kinetic by Windstream posts security guidance warning that its legitimate representatives will never demand sensitive financial information or conduct unannounced property photography, and it instructs customers to report impostors directly to law enforcement, per Kinetic Business.
The Better Business Bureau has flagged this exact pattern in broader regional consumer alerts, noting that door-to-door impersonators pitching utility or security services frequently adopt false identities to case residential properties for future burglaries or identity theft. Property photography, the BBB notes, is a common tactic used to evaluate home security systems and points of entry before a break-in.
A Small Department Covering a Lot of Ground
Caernarvon Township spans 9.7 square miles in southern Berks County and was organized back in 1752; its police department, established in 1962, operates with just six patrol officers alongside a Chief and Patrol Sergeant covering both the Morgantown and Elverson zip codes. The department has had a busy stretch: it made headlines less than a week earlier for a Philadelphia man's arrest following vehicle break-ins at Hollywood Casino Morgantown and a high-speed chase down Main Street that ended in a crash.
Residents who spot similar activity have more than one way to alert authorities. Beyond the township's tip line, Berks County residents can report suspicious solicitors or other crime tips anonymously through Crime Alert Berks County, a nonprofit that offers rewards of up to $10,000 for tips leading to arrests, according to Crime Alert Berks County. For now, the man photographed near the Joanna Store remains unidentified, and police have not said whether any leads have come in since Thursday's encounter.
