View from the cop: Crime & punishment
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AJC.com > Metro > View from the cop > Archives > 2007 > March > 30 > Entry
Protecting seniors targeted by thieves
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Seniors seem to be getting picked on again. Thefts from purses and in parking lots have increased a bit.
The easiest victims to pick on are the residents of senior communities and senior-assisted communities that utilize buses to make the weekly trip to the grocery store. Shopping day puts two or three of these communities in the store at once and it seems to attract some of the thieves looking to pluck wallets from pursed. Senior-day is attracting more thieves than in the past.
The most common scam is a tag-team approach where one suspect approaches the victim in the aisle while she pushes her cart. Suspect No. 1 asks the victim if she could help him or her read a box or can label. Sometimes they tell the victim their English is not good. While the Good Samaritan helps, Suspect No. 2 comes around from behind the victim, reaches into the purse and takes the victim’s wallet.
Many times the victim is unaware of the theft until she gets to the checkout line. The thieves are gone, headed straight to a retail store to use the stolen credit cards. Many times they’ll stop to gas up their car and grab some food on the way to a retail store. Favorite sites are electronic stores and other large retail locations close by. They’re on a short clock since the victim only has to call the card-issuer’s customer service line to cancel the card.
Why do they pick on seniors? They’re good set-up victims. They’ll help you if you need help. They’re not as skeptical at first and they tend to focus on what they’re doing and not so much looking around like us paranoid types. On grocery day, there will be 15 to 25 seniors in the store at once. It’s a social event as well so they’re not thinking about security or identity theft.
What to do?
First of all, most thieves want the credit cards to make big purchases. They need to gain access and stealing from the victim’s purse is the easiest way for them to get the card and get away.
Leave the purse at home if possible.
Put cash, credit/debit cards, and/or checks in a front pants pocket, not in coat pockets or back pockets.
If you take a purse into the store, strap it to the cart and zip it closed. If possible, take the wallet and / or cards out and refer to #2 above.
Don’t walk away, even a few feet, from a shopping cart with a purse in it.
Don’t get distracted and stay close to that purse when others are around your shopping cart.
IN THE PARKING LOT
While many seniors shop in groups and use buses to get in and out, some go to the store in cars.
Lots of thieves prefer the great outdoors. The most common outside approach happens while the victim is putting her groceries in the car. While she leans away from her cart to put the items in the car, a car drives up and the passenger gets out, grabs the purse, and the car speeds away, all in a couple of seconds.
What to Do?
When shopping, park the car as close to the store as possible. When leaving the store and pushing the cart to your car, go ahead and get the purse out of the cart and in your hands. That alone may be sufficient to discourage the would-be thief from selecting you on that day. They aren’t looking for a fight but rather a quick snatch-and-grab. Better yet, even if you take a purse into the store, keep the goods in your pocket as described above.
Look around for cars idling and persons who appear to be loitering. Locate them while you’re still near the store. You can always turn around and go back in or ask one of the store employees to escort you out.
Open the car door and put your purse in first and then your groceries.
If you live in a senior community with community shopping days or have a relative in one, tell residents to check with one another to make sure they have their wallets intact. If they see anyone who appears to be loitering in the store, let the store manager or employee know about it.
Just know these things do happen and make a couple of small adjustments to your normal habits and you’ll be fine.
If your wallet/purse is stolen, cancel the cards immediately. A good idea is to write down the customer service number for each of your credit cards and have that information handy in case you need to make a call. Don’t wait. Don’t go home if you can make the call where you’re at. Timing is very critical so make the call as soon as you realize those cards are lost or stolen.
The second call should be to the police. If the cards are stolen, you’ll need the documentation of a police report to counter the subsequent purchases that could be made on your credit card.
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By Bren
March 30, 2007 1:53 PM | Link to this
Steve, these are great safety tips for Senior Citizens,and all women that shop with their purse.But how do you suppose to keep Seniors Informed about safety while shopping? Maybe officers can use some of the slow crime time and visit Senior Citizen Communities and talk to them about safety. As you know we have to take care of our Seniors. Lets do our best to protect them.
By IAMADOGPERSON
March 30, 2007 2:46 PM | Link to this
YOU ARE RIGHT, DO NOT TAKE YOUR PURSE INTO THE GROCERY STORE. I SEE SO MANY LADIES STANDING AROUND READING LABELS AND SUCH WITH THEIR PURSE SITTING RIGHT THERE FOR ALL THE WORLD TO SEE (TAKE?). I EVEN CAUTION THE PERSON TO WATCH HER PURSE AS I GO BY HER. AS FAR AS PUTTING YOUR PURSE IN THE CAR BEFORE LOADING YOUR MERCHANDISE,DON’T DO THAT UNLESS YOU PLAN TO LOCK THE DOOR AGAIN WITH KEYS IN HAND. YEARS AGO, I WOULD ALWAYS PUT MY PURSE IN THE FRONT SEAT, LOAD MY GROCERIES OR WHAT, AND RETURN THE CART TO THE RACK. WELL, ONE TIME MY PURSE WAS STOLEN IN JUST THE 1 OR 2 MINUTES IT TOOK TO RETURN THE CART. SO, NOW IF I HAVE MY PURSE WITH ME LIKE AFTER WORK, I LOCK IT IN THE TRUNK AND TAKE ONLY WHAT I NEED INTO THE STORE. PUT THE PURSE IN THE TRUNK AS YOU BEGIN TO LOAD YOUR MERCHANDISE, THEN TAKE IT WITH YOU AS YOU RETURN YOUR CART. ON ANOTHER NOTE, MY FRIEND HAD HER PURSE STOLEN WHEN SHE TOOK HER KID TO SCHOOL. SHE GOT OUT JUST TO WALK HER KID A VERY SHORT DISTANCE AND WHEN SHE RETURNED TO HER CAR, THE PURSE WAS GONE. SO BE AWARE OF WHAT IS GOING ON AROUND YOU.
By Jennie
March 30, 2007 3:03 PM | Link to this
If you’ve reached a place in your life where you know senior citizen day at the local grocery store and you target that for your criminal acts you better hope there’s no eternal justice in this universe!! Preying on our senior citizens is so unbelievably low and slimy. I hope you are treated the way you treat others if you choose to do such shameful things. We all age eventually.
By fk
March 30, 2007 5:52 PM | Link to this
My sister-in-law, far from being a senior, had her purse stolen as she turned to open the hatch of her SUV. The guy immediately used one of her cards in a store, only a few doors up. Brazen.
By catlady
March 30, 2007 7:25 PM | Link to this
Any hope for a special place in Hell?
By Jim Etheridge
March 30, 2007 7:26 PM | Link to this
One day the purse-snatchers will grab the purse of an old lady who has a Black Belt on under her shawl, and she will beat the crap out of him!
By catlady
March 30, 2007 7:26 PM | Link to this
Any hope for a special place in Hell?
By DLink
March 31, 2007 12:42 AM | Link to this
I love strong, bulleted lists filled with good advice! Never give up the dancing naked in the yard stories, though: Hopefully your readers have long lives and opportunity to use all your good advice in that time.
Keep taking care of the people, we’ll try to keep it worth your while :-)
By mark
March 31, 2007 10:32 AM | Link to this
A person that would target a senior is as low as they get. If police would stop writing tickets for say, an hour or two a day, and go after some of these scum bags, bring em over to my house, I would be happy to take care of them TAX FREE…..
By butch
April 1, 2007 6:13 AM | Link to this
my wife had an encounter with a snatch & grab once she put his brakes on real quick with a knee to his privates
By Grob Hahn
April 2, 2007 8:08 AM | Link to this
Suggesting that a senior get into a physical confrontation is foolish. A “knee to the privates” doesn’t disable too many men, it just makes them very angry. Unless you plan to mace them and break one of their knees, and know how to do it, don’t tell people this crap. It will only get them injured. The BEST defense is to either avoid looking like a “good” target (like dressing way down, skipping the shower on shopping day, carrying only a small amount of money or a single credit card, NO purse, NO fat wallet) or by carrying a decoy purse/wallet full of those phoney credit cards that they fill mailboxes with as well as lots of those phoney dollar bill-looking coupons. I’m amazed how many elderly folks look like they got dressed up to go to shopping. Some even get their hair done before they go to the grocery store. These are all signs of a potentially easy target. But suggesting elderly folks kick a thief in the groin is just plain stupid. If these creeps are brazen enough to rob the elderly, they probably have no problem assaulting one who becomes a problem for them. Wise up.
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