Published: October 13, 2008 01:41 pm            

Fighting crimes against seniors | Precautions can keep predators at bay

Both the Pennsylvania State Police and the U.S. Department of Justice say financial crimes against senior citizens are on the rise.

Such crimes come in two forms:

Fraud involving the promise of goods or services that are never provided or provided at an inflated cost.

Theft in the form of financial exploitation by relatives and caregivers.

We’ve seen both in our region in recent weeks.

A Windber bar owner was arrested for allegedly stealing more than $800,000 from an older woman, West Hills Regional police said. The police said Frank Andrew Solensky Jr. befriended the woman more than a decade ago, and has since billed her for home repairs that were never done and charged exorbitant fees.

“He financially molested this lady,” West Hills police Sgt. George Musulin III said. “He took total unadulterated advantage of her.”

In another case, an elderly and sight-impaired Adams Township woman had money taken after she allowed a stranger to enter her home.

Police say a man knocked at her door seeking contributions for U.S. soldiers in Iraq, and he took cash she gave him and also swiped other money when she went to another room to get cash to make the donation.

A reward is being offered for information about this scam.

Richland Township resident Dave Gall has put up his own money to help solve the crime.

In both of these cases – and numerous others reported in our pages over the past several years – we can see that some people will stoop to unbelievable levels to take money that is not theirs, especially from the elderly.

“Predators wear a lot of different faces,” Musulin said.

We are sickened by the vile crimes people are willing to commit against our most vulnerable residents.

The state police say that people ages 65 or older are more likely to become victims of property crimes than are those in other age groups. Property crimes include burglary, motor vehicle theft and property theft.

An agency study shows that more than nine in 10 crimes against the elderly are property crimes.

A recent Dallas Morning News report found that one in five senior citizens will become the victim of a serious financial crime. Unfortunately, fewer than one in 12 such cases are reported to the authorities.

Many area communities have started Crime Watch programs – each at least in part because of an increase in crimes against seniors.

We urge older residents and those close to them to take every precaution available to guard against such dangerous situations. Watch out for yourself and those around you.

Those who fear they have been victimized should contact the authorities immediately, in the hopes of getting their property back and also to help stop the criminals from ripping off someone else.

And while we know local police are doing everything in their power to stop or catch these criminals, we would support additional resources being employed – including special regional crime units – to thwart these financial predators.

        

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