Grieving aged easy prey

Press, 9 June 1978, Page 1

Grieving aged easy prey

“Vultures” who study the death columns of local newspapers are cashing in on the grief of bereaved elderly people in Christchurch. After selecting a list of people to call on, bogus “collectors” approach elderly and often distressed widows and widowers in the hope they may be given clothing or other personal items once possessed by a marriage partner who has recently died. The tight economic situation is one reason why the elderly bereaved have become prey to this particularly mean theft. One widow in the Linwood area said last evening that she had given away goods worth “hundreds of dollars” to a “well dressed and well spoken young man” who had passed himself off as a collector for the Salvation Army. But the Salvation Army never makes direct approaches to persons recently bereaved. It always waits until it is asked before calling for any items from the bereaved. It is common for relatives to urge bereaved persons to remove from the

home items that once belonged to loved ones, and this helps bogus collectors to reap a rich harvest. A warning has gone out to all elderly people from the Christchurch Aged People’s Welfare Council to be on the lookout for persons who pass themselves off as representat i v e s of voluntary agencies. The police, too, have commented about the situation, and have urged the elderly to be wary of “collectors” who arrive on the doorstep soon after a bereavement. Such exploitation of the elderly was “obviously a despicable act,” said Inspector A. Jonas, of the Christchurch police, last evening. “It would be wise to ask for credentials if the householder is in any doubt whatsoever,” he said. “If these are not provided, the householder should get in touch with whatever organisation the collector says he represents.” Inspector Jonas said that under the Police Offences Act, it was an offence for anyone to collect funds or goods while falsely purporting that he is a representative of a bona fide organisation.