Short answer. It is one of the listed means of entry under the article on robbery in an inhabited house. The Code treats using a fictitious name or pretending to exercise public authority in the same way as breaking a door, so no force is needed for the heavier provision to apply.
What the law says
4. By using any fictitious name or pretending the exercise of public authority.
Revised Penal Code, Article 299 — Robbery In An Inhabited House. Read the full provision →
Deception sits in the same list as breaking in
Among the means of entry that bring a robbery in an inhabited house within Art. 299, alongside breaking a wall or a window and using false keys, the article lists this: 4. By using any fictitious name or pretending the exercise of public authority. The Code puts a man talking his way through the door in the same category as a man forcing it. That is a deliberate choice. The vice being aimed at is the defeat of the household's protection of itself, and a false badge or a false name defeats it as effectively as a crowbar and with far less noise.
Opening the door yourself does not take it out of the article
Households in this situation often feel they let the person in, and wonder whether that consent works against them. It does not, for the purposes of this branch. The clause exists precisely because the occupant opened the door — that is what the pretence was for. Consent obtained by pretending to be an officer, or by giving a false identity, is not the free consent that would make the entry lawful. The clause also covers a fictitious name generally, so the impersonation need not involve authority at all.
The pretence may be an offence in its own right
The Code separately punishes a person who usurps the authority of a public officer or represents himself as one, and it also has provisions on falsely using a name. Those are distinct provisions with their own elements, and the fact that the impersonation was used to commit a robbery does not necessarily mean it is only relevant to the robbery. If the person also displayed a fabricated identification card or document, further provisions may come into play. What is charged in a particular case is a matter for the prosecutor on the evidence gathered.
What to record now if this happened to you
Details fade fast and the ones that matter are specific. Write down what the person said, what name or unit he gave, what he wore, what he showed you and whether you touched it, how he arrived, and how many people were with him. Ask neighbours and nearby establishments for camera footage the same day, since it is routinely overwritten. Never attempt to identify or confront the person yourself. Take what you have to counsel or to the authorities promptly — an account given while it is fresh carries weight that a later one does not.
Related provisions
- Revised Penal Code, Article 299 — Robbery In An Inhabited House
- Revised Penal Code, Article 302 — Robbery In Uninhabited Or Private Building