Police give seniors tips
to avoid being targets

By Tom Waring
Times Staff Writer

Two local police officers believe the safety tips they offered to senior citizens last week also apply to people of all ages.
Stephanie Ahrndt, the victims’ assistance officer in the 2nd Police District, and Richie Simon, the community relations officer in the 7th Police District, spoke to a crowd of about 100 seniors at Congregation Ner Zedek, at 7520 Bustleton Ave.
The luncheon was hosted by the Rhawnhurst Naturally Occurring Retirement Community (NORC), a program that provides services in that neighborhood for people 60 and older. It’s sponsored by Catholic Social Services, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia and the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania.
The officers outlined various crimes — from two men posing as Water Department employees to rob a Tustin Street woman in her home to a purse-snatching of a woman walking to church on Jamison Avenue to a purse stolen from a pew at Resurrection of Our Lord Church.
"You really have to be careful wherever you are," Ahrndt said.
The crimes can rob people of valuables and large sums of money.
The police officers spoke of a scheme using the fictitious Canadian Lottery. One local woman was told she had won $500,000, but had to send in a payment for insurance. She lost $55,000.
One man hadn’t checked his Citizens Bank account for a year. When he finally looked at his statement, he noticed he was missing $66,000.
The officers urged the audience to ask for business cards, references and picture identification before hiring home-improvement contractors. Social Security recipients should use direct deposit for their checks.
Shredders, they agreed, are an affordable and effective way to protect one’s privacy and identity.
Older folks who are worried about safety, they said, should consider everything from carrying a whistle to scare off muggers to calling the Coalition of Advocates for the Rights of the Infirm Elderly (CARIE) at 215-545-4437.
Consumers should never put their wallets or purses in shopping carts, according to the cops.
"Super Fresh and the dollar store at Cottman and the Boulevard are famous (targets) for that crime," Ahrndt said.
The officers also cautioned women to guard their belongings from other pedestrians or motorists who try to approach them, especially from behind or the side.
"Ladies, be careful with your pocketbooks," Simon said.
Driver’s licenses, bank statements and other documents with personal information should never be left on the seat of a car, the police officials said.
At home, keys should never be kept under a mat or in the mailbox. To secure sliding doors, a wooden object like a broom handle should be inserted in the track.
The young and old should be on guard at all times, the officers said, whether it’s phony city employees checking for contaminated water or scammers offering to inflate a tire they claim is losing air.
"Don’t trust anybody," Simon said. ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com