10:22 PM CDT on Sunday, June 25, 2006

By BERT LOZANO / WFAA-TV

WFAA-TV

Juanita Ramos stands next to a water filter she said she bought for nearly $7,600 from a person posing as a Garland employee.

The city of Garland has sent out a warning after they said people have posed as city inspectors as part of a water scam that preys on Hispanic and elderly people in east Garland and Mesquite.

Juanita Ramos and her husband said a water filter that was installed in their new home cost nearly $7,600.

"I feel like these people lied to me," Ramos said.

The couple said a man claiming to work for the city of Garland visited their home to sell them the filter. They said he then scared them into the purchase through pictures of rats in a water line and a fake test of the couple's water from their sink.

"The water turned black and he come show it to me," Ramos said. "And he said, 'You want to drink this water for your family? This is the water from the city."

The man warned her the tap water was dangerous.

"He said later, 'You are going to have cancer or be sick from your kidneys,'" Ramos said.

Garland officials warned that the phony inspectors are tricking residents into paying for expensive water filters they don't need.

"He had to have some chemical to mix it with or the water would have stayed clear," said Jack May, Garland Water Utilites Department. "There's not a thing wrong with the city water."

Maricela Pacheco and her family said they found that out too late.

They had the same water filter installed when they moved in next door to the Ramos couple.

"He said he represented the city and told us the water was dirty," Pacheco said.

The families must pay $126 with an 18 percent interest rate for five years to pay for the filters.

While the two families are trying to get their money back, the city said they have an idea who the fake inspectors are and may take legal action.

Officials ask anyone approached at home by someone claiming to be with the city's water department to contact the Garland Water Utilities Department at 972-205-3210.

E-mail blozano@wfaa.com