Crime
Stoppers: D.A.'s task force helps senior battle identity theft Crawford, of Brookhaven, had just attended a presentation on how to avoid being scammed. She heard Green and Detective Sgt. Joseph Ryan and other members of the D.A.’s elderly fraud unit explain how to protect yourself. Crawford had been listening. And she wasn’t about to give her name out to anyone without checking first. That’s exactly the result the D.A. wanted. After being given the go-ahead, Crawford described the program "as excellent." A former employee of a District Attorney’s office while she lived in California, Crawford said she had been a victim of identity fraud. Her credit card was used to charge porno movies to her account. She said she didn’t know how the person was able to latch on to her information, but it was a troubling experience. "It was eventually straightened out," said Crawford. "That’s why I was especially interested in this program. It really is worthwhile." Ryan, Green and Assistant District Attorney Gregory Hurchalla, chief prosecutor for the Elderly Fraud Unit, were on hand that night to provide information to about 50 people, mostly senior citizens. The meeting was held in Springfield, and is one of many across the county geared to provide tips to protect the over-60 set against being victimized. "Seniors are such great targets, because most of them have excellent credit and they are not using it," said Ryan. He said if someone obtains access to that information, they’re home free before anybody is the wiser. Green said that vital information such as a birth date; Social Security number and banking information should be protected. "Don’t give it out unless it’s absolutely necessary and you know who you’re talking to. And never give it out to someone soliciting information over the telephone," he said. "Our position is you shouldn’t carry any card that even has your Social Security number on it," he added. "All someone with criminal intent needs to replicate your identity is your complete name and your date of birth. If they get your Social Security number in addition, that’s a home run. It’s critical that you carefully guard that information." Ryan suggested seniors carry no more than two credit cards. He said sometimes a thief at a movie or restaurant will grab a purse. The only thing taken will be a credit card and everything else will be returned so that nobody is aware anything has been lifted -- until the credit bills arrive. The Senior Fraud Unit of the District Attorney’s office has been in operation since last October and is part of the Economic Crimes Unit funded through state and local money. A $109,000 grant is channeled from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency that was used to hire an additional detective for the unit and other related purposes. There are a total of five detectives and three prosecutors. Hurchalla and assistant district attorneys Joseph Brielmann and Andrew Rongaus handle the cases for the Economic Crimes Unit, which has been in operation for about a decade. Green said he felt there was an urgency to add the Senior Victims’ Crimes Unit under that umbrella. He said when he came into office two years ago, he became acutely aware that there was a trend involving five areas of crimes impacting heavily on seniors. "Joe (Ryan) had also prepared a presentation that he had started to give to senior groups around the county." Green said criminals are targeting the elderly in areas involving credit card fraud, identity theft, repairs by unscrupulous contractors, rip-offs by professionals involving estates, and telemarketing fraud. He also said his unit, working with Villanova University’s Business School, has added a junior accounting major as a forensic intern. Green said the intern frees detectives to handle work such as executing search warrants or serving subpoenas. And the intern is responsible for going over the paperwork with directions concerning what information is required to prove a crime. "The intern started July 1 and already we’re seeing positive results," said Green. He said this also cuts down on the costly hiring of an expert to handle the matters, especially in complex cases. If an expert is needed for testimony, the information compiled by the intern could be utilized and a report could be prepared. "We save hours of time and taxpayers money on expert witnesses," he said. The student is paid $12 an hour and receives experience as well as college credits. Ryan said the Economic Crimes unit, which includes prosecutions of defendants scamming the elderly as well as other kinds of fraud, is currently handling 154 cases. "Since Jan. 1, we’ve made arrests in 40 cases - some with multiple victims," said Ryan. Hurchalla added that prosecutions involving money crimes against the elderly have reaped more than $100,000 in restitution. Among them was the case of Steven Cheout, 39, a smooth talker who convinced three victims, including an 83-year-old woman, that he was a lawyer and conned them out of $67,000. The phony attorney was sentenced to three to six years in jail and required to pay back the bilked money. Among the telemarketing scams Green wants the public to beware of is the Canadian lottery swindle. Seniors are told that they’ve won money, but to gain access to the winnings, they’re asked to put cash up front and send it to a foreign address.There are no winners except for the con artists. Green was adamant that no money should ever be sent. And if anyone is contacted, local authorities should be notified so that seniors don’t end up losing their life savings. "We do get some help from the public," said Green. "A guy who operates a Western Union franchise in Radnor contacted the office that a number of people had been showing up to order wire transfers to Canada. He stopped taking them and tipped us off that something was happening." The Canadian lottery is one crime in which victims are not likely to recover their money. The object is to make the public aware so that they don’t fall into the trap, said the county’s top prosecutor. However, other cases closer to home have resulted in prosecutions in which the court has ordered defendants to pay back the victims. Hurchalla mentioned three cases -- Kevin Ward, William Rossiter and Joseph Valentine -- all contractors who were paid to handle various home repairs, including roofing, but instead took the money off the top, scamming homeowners. "Each case carried restitution and they were all sentenced to jail," said Hurchalla. Green said senior victims are often embarrassed and don’t want to tell they’ve been conned for fear they’ll lose their independence. "People of all ages can fall victim to these unscrupulous people," said Hurchalla. He said he not only wants people at the various meetings "to hear the message but to be messengers to others who aren’t in attendance." Sometimes they even learn from the audience. One man raised his hand recently and said that people using credit cards should be careful if somebody nearby is using a camera phone. They could take a picture of the card with all the information. "That’s
a very valid point," said Ryan, noting that he planned to incorporate that
tip into the presentation. "The whole purpose of the program is to create
community awareness and get seniors to be proactive about protecting themselves."
Courtesy of: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1675&dept_id |