Our elderly are at risk.

Tyler Skochenko, a self-professed homeless drug addict, assaulted at least two elderly women, a 70 and a 79 year old, robbing them of jewelry and cash.  Both incidents occurred at NW casinos.  He was caught by police officers as he was entering another casino parking lot, more than likely preventing another robbery.  He was arrested for two counts of robbery, victim over 65 and substantial bodily harm.  His bail was set at $65,000.00. (Stroy in RJ)

One of his victims was pushed down from behind and her gold necklace was pulled from her neck.

The other victim was spun around and Skochenko attempted to pull her rings off of her fingers.  When she resisted, he pushed her down and took her purse, injuring her hip in the process.

During a recent speaking engagement, I met Esther, an eighty-something bundle of sweet, caring, sympathetic humanity in a frail package.  As I spoke to her, she clutched her aluminum walker and smiled as she told me of her traumatic attack outside a local grocery store.

She was still in the parking lot, about to enter the store with her walker, when a young male grabbed her purse and tried to run off with it.  She held on to it with a grip that the thug couldn’t break, so he punched her in the face, breaking her jaw.  He ran off with her purse (her jaw required surgery).  Fortunately, a Good Samaritan was able to detain the scumbag until the police arrived.  He was sentenced to prison for 8 years.

Here’s the heart-wrenching story.  Esther, knowing my background in police work asked me to see if I could get him released.  When I asked why, her response was “He has a young daughter and he should be part of her life.  When he gets out of prison, she will be a grown woman”.

Criminals are taking advantage of our elderly’s handicaps and sentimentality. 

The holiday season is almost upon us.  The shopping centers will be full of holiday shoppers, including the elderly, attempting to maneuver through the parking lots and crowds.

The predators know most seniors carry cash and that women carry large, strapped purses on their shoulders.  Easy targets to see and victimize, whether they do a run-by or a drive-by and snag their prize.

Many a victim has been dragged alongside a car as their purse was grabbed.  Not once, that I know of, has a suspect stopped while dragging a victim, sometimes actually running over the victim as they flee the scene.

With the economy in the toilet, businesses are laying off employees, including security, which contributes to the dangers that our seniors are facing when they are out in public.

Many assisted living facilities and senior social groups do have luncheons and other social events that allow for guest speakers that can address this issue.  Certain private groups do offer “Awareness” programs that educate on how to prevent becoming a victim.  There are several options available for our seniors, including family becoming involved.  Safety in numbers.  Maybe a sign or two posted during the holidays?  Law Enforcement has a moral obligation to take measures that will increase the safety of the citizens, and anything preventative is much better, and a lot easier, than justice for a victim.

Picking on the elderly…

I received a phone call from a friend who told me her mother was “scammed” by an individual calling her on the phone. 

When she picked up the phone, she was greeted by a male voice saying, “Hi grandma, it’s your grandson”.  She immediately acknowledged the caller by using her grandson’s name, Lucas.

The male then went into details that he had been arrested for drunk driving and had been involved in a vehicle accident.  He further stated that his blood alcohol level was a 0.09, barely above the legal limit.  He assured her that he was fine, but his bail for release was set at $9,600.00 and if he could come up with half that amount, $4,800.00, they would release him until the court date.

Grandma had not spoken with her grandson for some time and thought his voice sounded differently.  When she questioned him, he stated he “had a cold”.

He also asked her not to tell anyone else as not to embarrass him or other members of his family.

Grandma felt bad as she didn’t have enough money to bail him out and did call other family members, who verified that “Lucas” had not been involved in an accident, not in jail and was fine.

Grandma did verify that if she did have the money, she would’ve been en-route to the nearest Western Union to send the money.

A check on elderly phone scams, (Please Read here), revealed that this was a typical scam, preying on the elderly and abusing their love for family members, especially grandchildren.

Among other scams utilized organizations that the victims are familiar with, such as Social Security, their bank, Medicare, some lottery or sweepstakes or something to do with unclaimed money.

Usually, anything to do with some sort of winnings or sweepstakes requires the victim to pay “filing fees, taxes, customs or whatever”, amounting to hundreds of dollars or more only to find out that there was no money.

The best course of action is to be aware and educate potential victims. 

Personal information should never be given out over the phone.  Personal info is social security numbers, any info about your bank account or credit cards, driver’s license info, address, etc.  Any organization you do business will already have that info.

If someone contacts you on the phone and requests information about you, ask them their name and phone number.  If they refuse to give that to you, more than likely, it’s a scam.

Scammers will usually pressure you into a quick decision, usually telling the victim “you need to make a decision now”.

Never send cash immediately.

Let the answering machine answer unknown phone numbers and listen to the message, if they leave one.  Then you have more time to figure out whether the call is a potential scam.

We all have a responsibility to protect our loved ones and unfortunately, there are those who would prey on those willing to protect their families and friends.

Talk to your family and take the time to educate them and protect them.  The time you take in preventing a crime will always be substantially less trying to solve the crime.