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Couple impersonate Child Protection Service officials while ringing Houston doorbells, police say

A Houston man was surprised by man ringing his doorbell early Friday, claiming to be a CPS official. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

A couple knocked on the door of a Houston family at 5 a.m. Friday, claiming to be officials with Child Protection Service and asking to be allowed into the home, police said.

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According to Chris Beck, a couple came to his door in the Kingswood subdivision in Houston and a man began ringing the doorbell, KTRK reported.

“He wanted to know if I would let him in because he was sharing that there was a lost child," Beck told the television station. “I asked him if he called 911. He then proceeded to say, ‘It would just take a moment,’ and I said ‘I’ll call 911.’”

That prompted the man to speak with his companion as they stood on Beck's doorstep, according to KTRK.

”He stepped away, opened his hands up and then he actually turned to her, and there was a conversation that took place," Beck told the television station. “And then he turned back to me and says, ‘This must be the wrong house.’”

Beck said the couple apparently knocked on other doors in the neighborhood, citing a neighborhood Facebook site that contained posts from other residents.

"We could track the direction because multiple people were getting the similar experience," Beck told KTRK.

Police said the couple claimed to be Child Protective Service officials at one home and needed access to check the status of a foster child, the television station reported. The couple were refused entry, and the residents added their experience to the social media post.

"The power of your neighbors and the power of your community is truly the first line of defense," Beck told KTRK.

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