After a con woman scammed Susan Olenick’s 86-year-old father forhundreds of dollars to help a supposed “sick child,” Olenickdecided to step in.
“I tried to get through to (my father) that you’ve worked hardfor every dollar all your life,” said Olenick, an Evanstonresident. “And now you’re giving it away to someone you don’tknow.”
With Olenick’s intervention, the woman — who had been scammingOlenick’s father since Jan. 1 — was arrested Friday and chargedwith unlawful possession of fraudulently obtained checks, saidCmdr. Michael Perry of Evanston Police Department.
The woman, who met Olenick’s father at Burger King, 1740Orrington Ave., had visited him on a weekly basis to ask for money,Olenick said. The woman would come by once a week when Olenick andher mother would leave the house to do errands.
“We told him 100 times that he was being taken,” Olenick said.”When people get older, it can be a real problem getting through tothem.”
Senior citizens — who make up more than 10 percent ofEvanston’s population — often are targeted by scam artists as easysources of money, said Amanda Jones, senior crime preventionspecialist at EPD.
As the weather gets warmer and more people venture outdoors,Jones said scam attempts against the elderly likely will increase.These crimes, which range from false home repair schemes to storiesof sick children, often prey on people who appear charitable.
“We are, by nature, a generous city and a philanthropiccommunity,” Jones said. “When somebody comes to the door, theimpulse for many people in Evanston is to say, ‘I’ll supportit.'”
Senior citizens are the most frequent targets for these crimesbecause they are more likely to trust people or may struggle withmemory problems, Jones said. Often con artists target seniors inteams, with one pretending to do home repair while others clean outseniors’ homes.
“This is sort of like the circus where the little car opens and40 clowns run out,” Jones said. “It’s essential that people notopen their door because these guys will push their way in.”
When seniors are defrauded, they often become embarrassed, Jonessaid. Many don’t report the crimes to police because they don’twant to admit falling victim to a scam.
“They feel doubly bad,” Jones said. “They wouldn’t feel asfoolish if somebody stuck a gun in their face.”
Olenick said her father refused to report the crime to police oreven to tell her how much he had given the woman.
“There’s fear of retaliation, there’s denial,” Olenick said.”All those factors keep older people from reporting these things.The families have to step in.”
After meeting with Jones, Olenick helped to catch the woman whohad been ripping off her father.
Since the arrest Olenick’s father became more confident instopping would-be scam artists, Olenick said.
“There’s no room for denial anymore,” Olenick said. “Somebodytried to ask him for money the other day and he said ‘no.'”
Jones recommended that other seniors and their relatives callher at 847-866-5011 to report any suspicious circumstances to thepolice.
“My job is to try to give the seniors as much confidence as thecon men have,” she said
