Senior Citizen Home Safety:
Talk to Your Aging Parents About Door-to-Door Thieves



Senior citizen home safety can be compromised by "fake" contractors. Your aging parents are vulnerable to these door-to-door thieves. These schemes are well thought out to take advantage of the trusting nature of many senior citizens.

Senior citizen home safety

How These Thieves Work

First, the thieves create a cover story to "talk their way into the house" according to authorities.

"In this case a chunky, balding man in his 40s told home owners he was a water company employee -- an inspector -- and that he needed to check their pipes, police said...Police said the phony water inspector gabbed on his cell phone the entire time he was in the home, looked under the man's kitchen sink and in general kept the homeowner occupied.

"After the alleged water inspector left, the man realized that $400 had been taken from an envelope in his second-floor bedroom.

"If anyone comes to your house posing as a water inspector, do not let them in," Bethlehem police Lt. Mark DiLuzio said. "They only inspect public pipes, not the ones in your home.""

In [another] incident... five men rang the doorbell of an elderly couple ... and convinced the homeowners that they were part of a landscape contractor the couple had used in the past, police said. While one of the suspects distracted the couple, the other men stole valuables from the home.

Other scams involve "contractors" going through the neighborhood claiming to have recently completed work on a neighbors house. While there, they noticed some serious problems developing and would be happy to fix them now before they get worse. They threaten that it would cost the elders much more money to wait.

Yet another variation are robberies that occur after someone poses as a UPS delivery man. Or gaining entry by stating they need to "check the meters."


Senior Citizen Home Safety Tips

Talk to your aging parents about these [police] departments senior safety tips:

  • Don't allow strangers into your home.

  • Contact the company that people claim to represent to confirm their identity before allowing them into your home.

  • Be suspicious if you don't recognize a person who makes contact with you and claims to know you.

  • Keep points of entry into your home locked at all times (doors, screens, windows, security doors, etc).

  • Contact the police if you are not able to verify someone's identity or feel that they are acting suspiciously in your neighborhood.




    Talk About Senior Safety With Your Aging Parents

    Senior Safety is a new conversation that you will need to have with your parents. We all assume the responsibility to protect ourselves in adulthood. But, as our parents age, there are new frailties and new risks.


    Senior Citizen Home Safety to Talk-Early-Talk-Often With Aging Parents Home Page


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