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 Recently,
the Fraud Section has received several
reports of suspects stealing money from
elderly victims by means of intimidation.
The general area of occurrence has been
from approximately 79th Street south
to the Kansas City limits near Grandview.
The suspects contact the victim at the
victim's residence and ask to perform
various types of work such as tree trimming
or roof and minor home repair. Often
the suspects and the victim will make
a verbal agreement for the price and
for the work to be performed. Sometimes
the work is started, but not completed
or sometimes the suspects will say the
job was completed when it was not. The
suspects then demand substantially more
money than the original quoted amount.
The suspects return on a later date
and ask for more money, using intimidation.
The suspects will tell the victim that
they haven't finished paying for the
work or the suspects will prey on the
elderly victim's inability to remember
whether or not they paid at all. So
far the suspects have not used physical
force to obtain money.
It is
advised that all citizens to be aware
of these scams. Be cautious of individuals
approaching homes and requesting to
perform work. If you need work to be
done, consult reputable companies by
referring to the yellow pages or through
personal references. Keep an eye out
for your elderly neighbors and relatives.
Stealing
Forgery Fraud
and Identity
Theft Brochure
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Additional
Incidents
Recently,
we have identified a pattern
involving check forgeries.
These offenses usually occur
in areas where there is
a strip mall or several
businesses very close together.
The suspect changes but
is usually a white female.
The female enters the store
and indicates she is an
employee of a neighboring
store. Because the owner/manager
has been in an accident
or is ill, she has been
forced to open the store.
The subject indicates the
store's money is locked
in the safe and asks if
she can write a check to
get change to open the store.
The subject is allowed to
do so and writes the check
for amounts usually over
$200.00 on a personal checking
account. It is later learned
that the subject does not
work t the business and
the victim learns a forgery
suspect has scammed them.
There
are other variations to
this scenario. On at least
one occasion the manager
was in the store and the
subject talked to the manager
about catering. She then
went to the sales clerk,
who was aware the two had
been talking, and asked
her to cash a check for
$200.00, indicating the
manager said it was okay
to do so. It was only after
the subject left the store
that the employee learns
the manager did not give
the subject permission to
cash a check.
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Did
you know?
Point
of Law: The
offense of forgery occurs
when the subject presents
a document (check) as authentic
and legitimate. In cases
of forgery, the subject
does not have to receive
anything in return (cash,
merchandise, or services).
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Crime
Prevention Tips
Businesses
should be aware of these
scams. If this occurs at
your business, get identification
from the subject who presented
the check. Call the business
to determine if the subject
is an employee. If you learn
the information is false,
call 911 and indicate a
forgery has occurred and
the suspect is at the scene.
Stall the subject until
the police arrive. It is
important that we identify
this subject in our attempt
to stop these offenses from
occurring.
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