Elderly Targeted In Recent Phone, Door-to-Door Scams

When Dorothy and Dave White got a phone call from their grandson telling them that he had been arrested and needed $3,000 to make bail, they wanted to help. But the person who had called was certainly not their grandson.

The Whites, Lomita Village residents who are in their late seventies, were nearly taken in by a common phone scam. The question, “Do you know who this is?”  is usually the way the scammers get the names of relatives. In the White’s case, the voice at the other end of the line sounded just like their grandson Landis. ‘Landis’ told the them that he had been in an alcohol-related accident in British Columbia, and gave them an 800 number, which he claimed to be a lawyer who would arrange for his bail.

The ‘lawyer’ wanted $3,000 to bail their grandson out. When the White’s hesitated at the large amount, the number was dropped to $2,000, which they agreed to pay. They were given instructions regarding where and how to send the money. Luckily, just as they were going to wire the $2,000 at a Wal-Mart, a woman happened to ask them why. When the Whites repeated their story, they were told it was a common scam. A quick phone call to their grandson Landis confirmed that it wasn’t true.

“It was all very believable,” said Dorothy. “We were fooled until we got over there.”

Common scams, like the one that almost cost the Whites $2,000, have been perpetrated countless times. And regardless of how much information is put out to warn the public, people continue to be victimized.

While phone scams are a simple and anonymous way for criminals to cheat people, there are also those who are bold enough to ring the doorbell.

According to San Diego Sheriff’s Department Crime Prevention Specialist Kelly Marline, an area in Mt. Helix stretching from Conrad Drive to Avocado Boulevard has been the target of these door-to-door scammers. They will often go house to house posing as students who are trying to raise money to study abroad. Many times, when the victim writes them a check, the scammer will use nail polish to dissolve the ink, then change the amount. Because most of the victims are elderly, and are often embarrassed by their gullibility, very few of these crimes are reported, Marline said.

In order to curb the door-to-door scammers, the San Diego Sheriff’s Department requires any solicitor to apply for a card identifying them. Applicants are subject to a background check.

“You should never give to anyone at your door without an ID card except the Girl Scouts,” said Marline. “They are the only ones exempt from needing one.”

Those who have been the victim of any type of scam are urged to call the San Diego Sheriff’s Department and report it. Even in instances where nothing is taken, citizens are urged to call and insist an incident number, Marline said.

“Those incident numbers all add up,” said Marline. “And those are what create the logs, which will put deputies on it, and that’s what we want.”