Officials in Milford are warning residents to beware of a fake fire marshal trying to scam people out of hundreds of dollars in cash.

Investigators say two businesses handed hundreds of dollars of cash over before they realized they had been scammed.

Officials say a person arrived at the Frosty Twist saying they were there for a fire inspection. They say the person was there looking at some equipment quickly, then handed over a handwritten bill and took cash.

"It's unbelievable that someone would actually be this devious just to try to steal money from innocent people and try to take advantage of the system and putting a bad light on a fire department for what we do," said Milford Deputy Fire Marshal Tim Suden.

A few days ago, someone tried to do the same thing at a home, officials say.

Fire marshals say they almost always make appointments for inspections, wear uniforms, have badges and do not ask people for cash. They also say they do not do inspections at family homes.