Keep an eye on bogus callers

A guide for carers on the various methods used by offenders to gain access to people’s homes. We also offer practical advice on what carers can do to help police detect these oftences and how the elderly can be better protected from bogus callers.

When are these offences committed?
With very few exceptions, these offences occur on Monday to Friday and during daylight hours.They are rarely committed at weekends because there is more likelihood of being caught when there are more neighbours and family around.

But during these weekday hours genuine callers, such as core workers, milkmen, mail deliverers and 90S meter readers ore delivering their services to the elderly. The increased vigilance of these people and the neighbours of elderly and vulnerable people con help prevent or detect such crimes.

Who is committing them?
Police experience and intelligence suggests that the vast majority of offenders operate in large family groups. They use various guises to deceive and distract. They frequently change their accents as they go from house to house and will sometimes work in pairs or threes but also continually swap around. For example, where you get a series of offences reported on the same day and the offenders have used the some excuses to gain entry, members of the group will have swapped around with other accomplices, so that descriptions given by the victims will vary inthe hope that police will be thrown off the scent.

What do these people look like?
What does any burglar look like? They can be very young, they can be middle-aged, male or female, their dress can be scruffy or formal, there is no specific “type” although if one has a prominent feature, such as a large nose or protruding ears, this can be vital information to give to police to help identify them.

What methods do they use?
These offenders are constantly inventing new ways of getting into people’s houses. 1-lere are lust a few examples:

They will dress up in boiler suits and say they are from the water companies or gas board, claiming there has been a reported leak and they need to come in to check it out. While getting the occupant to remain downstairs turning on tops, they will be upstairs helping themselves to jewellery and cash
They will get into communal flats by ringing any bell and telling whoever answers it that they are delivering a parcel to another flat. Once inside, they will change their story if anyone challenges them to say they are from the council or the gas board
Some will say they are from the council and have come to measure a house or flat for new windows because of draughts
Asking for a glass of water is still a method employed by some and while a householder obliges, a second or even third burglar can get in unseen
One routine is for a burglar to knock at the front door and tell the occupant that their younger sister or brother has accidentally smashed a window round the back. As the householder goes to investigate, an accomplice can be in and out in a matter of seconds
Even when elderly and vulnerable people do take preventative measures, such as fitting spy holes and chains to their front doors, these burglars can be wise to it and will tap on the back door instead. Because many elderly people would not expect anyone other than trusted friends, neighbours or family to knock on the back door, they can be falsely reassured and will open it What do they steal and how do they choose their victims?
What do they steal and how do they choose their victims?
Their main objective is to steal cash and jewellery if it looks expensive. For this reason they will make for the master bedroom and look for handbags.
Because the majority of these offenders work in large family groups, they can pass information on to their relatives about which addresses are vulnerable which means it is possible to become a victim for a second or even third time.

These offenders will follow vulnerable-looking people back from local shops and visits to the Post Office on pension day.

In other cases, a victim can be chosen by the state of the exterior of their house - unkempt gardens, dirty curtains or scruffy paintwork are a sure giveaway that the person living there is elderly, possibly housebound or infirm.

There are other types of burglary carried out by these groups where the victims never actually come into contact with them. This is known as “gliding”. An elderly occupant may be spotted out gardening and so the offender will slip into the house via a front or rear door left ajar and the owner will not even realise they have been in or what has been stolen until much later.

What else should you be aware of?
Police always advise people to check the identity of callers claiming to be council or utilities officials. But, playing on the possibility that many elderly residents can be partially sighted or confused, a distraction burglar may flash an ID card which will not be scrutinised. More often than not this turns out to be a piece of card or a video membership card. These offenders would never bother to forge an official ID card because they rely on the fact that they are almost never challenged.

These offenders are always very sure of themselves. They will answer questions with questions to try to confuse their victims. They do not necessarily become violent but they will stand their ground, are very persistent and not easily scared off.

The unique thing about distraction burglaries is that there is always a witness. There are many people who do not realise they are witnesses, some victims do not even realise they have been burgled and others never report it to police.

It is important that carers of the elderly and vulnerable are encouraged to report anything and everything suspicious that the people in their charge tell them. Also, carers going from home to home may notice suspicious people loitering or unfamiliar cars parked close by. Offenders could be seen hopping across gardens or pressing a series of buttons outside flats to gain entry - all of this should be considered suspicious. Note the registration number of a suspicious car in the area or a car being seen to be used by the offenders and tell the police.

Remembering distinctive clothing and unusual facial features will often help police identify the culprits.

People live a lot longer nowadays and, as a result, the elderly population will only grow bigger. Hertfordshire is a target area because of its road networks, including the Ml, M25 and Al, which allows offenders in and out of the county very quickly.

The police do have a lot of intelligence on these types of burglars but they need your help.

How can we help?
You can make a very positive contribution towards reducing and detecting these offences through your contact and relationships with the people you care for.

It is important that elderly people understand that although they think they are at risk from crime, statistically this is not true. But they must not be complacent and by helping the elderly understand potential dangers and giving them reassuring advice you can make a big difference.

As carers you probably already appreciate there are things you can do to help protect the elderly and make them feel safer.

Encourage those in your care to fit locks and chains on front and back doors. It costs as little as £5 to fit either of these devices.

Keep your eyes and ears open and if you see something suspicious, contact the police.

Talk sensibly with the people in your care about the dangers of bogus callers without unnecessarily frightening them and make them aware they can do a lot to prevent themselves becoming victims.

Encourage your clients to keep their money in the bank. Too often an elderly person will have their life savings taken because they have refused to bank them. And advise them not to keep a cheque book and cheque card together.

Stress the importance of not being afraid to challenge any caller by asking to see official identification. Genuine callers will be happy to do so.

Help the elderly to avoid the give-away signs they are alone; an unkempt garden or poor exterior decor can easily indicate the occupant of a house is vulnerable.

Think about how you behave too, and if any of your actions could put a vulnerable person at risk. One of the biggest issues is leaving front door keys under a flower pot or a mat. Please consider alternatives, because offenders will look in these obvious places.

You probably understand more than most that many elderly people are lonely and will invite strangers into their homes. They must be dissuaded from doing this and if they do want genuine company there are many groups such as the Befrienders Scheme that can be contacted through the local council.