Four steps to foil the conmen on doorstep

ELDERLY people must do more to protect themselves against bogus callers, say the police and Help the Aged.

In the last 12 months 260 pensioners in Wiltshire have fallen victim to the tricksters who pretend they are bona fide callers from the utility companies.

Once inside the house they seem to know exactly where to locate any savings or other cash.

Their despicable crimes bring them rich pickings. One Swindon man was recently convicted of more than 50 distraction offences, and a London man confessed to having committed 500, three of those in Wiltshire.

A year ago, a Marlborough pensioner had his £17,000 life savings stolen from a tin in his bedroom after admitting a caller claiming to be investigating a water leak. He was left with just enough to pay his eventual funeral expenses.

The shock of being robbed leaves victims feeling unsafe in their homes and statistics show that some have been hastened to their graves by these doorstep tricksters.

Wiltshire Police say all householders, in particular the elderly, should follow their simple four words of advice: Lock, Stop, Chain and Check. Keep doors locked at all times, stop and think before admitting any callers, make sure the security chain is secured before opening the door and check on the identity of all callers.

Help the Aged hopes that the popular TV soap EastEnders helped get the message across when the popular character Dot Branning became a victim of a caller claiming to be from the church, who attacked her when she found him rifling through her possessions.

Lysa Ralph, the charity's senior safety manager, said it was pleased the programme had focused attention on the hugely under-reported problem of bogus caller crime.

She said: "The EastEnders episode illustrated that criminals are targeting older people across the country, stealing their valuables, and affecting their general well being and feeling of safety.

"As stressed in EastEnders we advise that by practising simple doorstep procedures older people can help keep these criminals out of their homes.

"It is important to emphasise that in most cases violence is not used to gain entry and Dot's case in the TV programme is an extreme example."

Dr Amanda Thornton, a clinical psychologist and expert on the impact of bogus caller crime, said: "This crime is particularly cruel and distressing and it can have a devastating effect on the victims' quality of life.

"Just as we see with Dot Branning, victims often blame themselves and are left feeling invaded, embarrassed and fearful. Some older victims have experienced heart attacks or strokes or deterioration in their self-confidence as a direct result of bogus caller crime.

"At its most extreme, the trauma caused by the bogus caller incident can tragically lead to the death of the older victim."

Help the Aged estimates more than 300,000 older people around Britain fall victim to some form of bogus caller crime each year. But its research shows that 51 per cent of older people fail to report such incidents to police.

Its statistics show that almost a quarter of women aged 60 and above worry each time they answer the door to strangers, but another quarter say they open their doors without making any checks on the callers.

Both Help The Aged and Wiltshire Police through its Bobby Van scheme provide free home safety checks and install security devices.

Wiltshire Police is working closely with four neighbouring forces through Operation Litotes sharing ideas and intelligence to help it close in on the crooks that prey on the elderly.

The deputy head of Wiltshire CID, Det Supt Paul Granger, said: "Historically these offences have proved extremely difficult to detect but Wiltshire Constabulary is firmly committed to tackling what has become one of the most distasteful of crimes which focuses on a section of our community which is the most vulnerable, namely the elderly and the infirm."

Police advice is that no callers should be admitted into the home unless the occupiers are convinced they are genuine.

If there are any doubts about the identity of callers do not admit them until after checking with the utility they claim they are from.

Anyone living close to vulnerable neighbours is asked to keep an eye on them and not worry about being accused of being nosey.

Trauma of con stays on

A YEAR after con artists struck at the home of Pewsey couple Charles and Yvonne Elkins they are still living with the trauma.

The couple have just reached their diamond wedding anniversary. They would have celebrated with a family party, paid for with part of the £500 savings that were stolen last summer.

Mr and Mrs Elkins, who have 11 children, had been saving a few pounds from their pension each week and hid it under a mattress at their Pewsey home.

Mrs Elkins, 77, was out shopping when her husband, 80, found a man in their home who claimed he had knocked on the door before entering.

The caller claimed to be a plumber working next door and he showed retired farmworker Mr Elkins what looked like an identity card.

Mr Elkins said: "He said that next door had a leak in their washing machine and they needed to check our pipes in the kitchen."

A second man stole from the cash while the bogus caller was distracting them. The pair remain worried about letting people into their home. At the time, Mr Elkins said he felt silly that he had allowed himself to be duped.

Crook made living preying on elderly

ONE crook who preyed on pensioners, stealing their life savings and pensions, told police he did it because it provided him with a good living.

In February Shane Jarvis, 33, formerly from Swindon, was jailed for eight and a half years when he admitted about 70 distraction burglaries.

Jarvis stole without care for his victims because, as he told the police who arrested him, it provided him with a good living.

He lived it up on the proceeds of stealing, mainly from calling at pensioners' homes pretending he was a policeman or from the water board.

Once inside their homes he searched the likely hiding places where pensioners keep their cash; in some cases life savings or money put by to pay for their funerals.

Det Insp Vaughan was in charge of the Swindon area section of Operation Litotes, the joint west police forces operation set up to share intelligence and information about bogus caller crimes.

Officers knew they were looking for the proverbial needle in the haystack because bogus caller offenders are known to be of an itinerant nature and roam over large areas.

So it proved when Jarvis was finally arrested as a result of some excellent observation by Swindon police officer Sgt Paul Mundy.

The breakthrough came when police obtained CCTV footage of a man trying to cash cheques that had been stolen by a bogus caller. The pictures were circulated to police forces across the West and in South Wales. Sgt Mundy recognised the offender as Shane Jarvis, who originated from Swindon, where members of his family still live.

Det Insp Vaughan said: "Following the identification he remained on the run for several weeks."

Jarvis was eventually arrested in Swindon. During several interviews with police he admitted to about 70 bogus caller type offences right across the West. Some 50 of them were committed in the Wiltshire and Swindon area.

Det Insp Vaughan said Jarvis was not a drugs user or an alcoholic but merely stole to maintain his lifestyle and found pensioners easy prey.

The detective said: "He gained his way into elderly people's homes pretending to be from the police or the water board. He would dupe his way in and steal their cash, credit cards and pension books."

Jarvis had a partner and children in Plymouth but travelled extensively through the West Country living in a caravan and stealing wherever he went.

"His explanation for his offending was that it was his way of making a living," said Det Insp Vaughan.

In February Jarvis was sentenced to a total of seven and a half years in jail plus an extra 500 days for offending while he was on licence from prison.

Keep the wolf from the door

Between August 2001 and August 2002, there were 136 reported distraction burglaries in Wiltshire.

Since January 2002, there have been 65 reported distraction burglaries.

As this sort of crime is highly under-reported, these figures are expected to rise.

Elderly and vulnerable people are particularly targeted.

Before you answer the door, think: Are you expecting anyone? Official visitors will book an appointment.

Put the chain on before you open the door

Check identity carefully while the door chain is on. Ring the caller's office to check their identity, using the number in the telephone book.

If in doubt, keep them out.

If you think a bogus caller has visited, don't hesitate dial 999 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.