Santa Ana : Con Artist Confronts Two Senior Citizens
A con artist posing as a Social Security worker to steal money from senior citizens has struck twice in Santa Ana, police said.
In both cases the suspect pretended to be an employee of the Social Security Administration and told the victims he had money to repay them, police spokeswoman Maureen Thomas said.
The man stole $100 from a 96-year-old invalid man two weeks ago and attempted to steal from a woman in her 80s on Wednesday, Thomas said.
“He’s preying on people that are really old, because his method is not all that swift,” Thomas said.
The 96-year-old invalid man said he lost $100 when the suspect showed him several $20 bills and offered to put them in the invalid’s wallet, Thomas said. Instead, the con artist removed $100 from the wallet, and the man did not discover the loss until later, she said.
On Wednesday a woman told police that a man fitting the same description tried the ploy at her home. But the woman called police after the man asked her where she kept her money, Thomas said.
The man is described as white, in his mid-50s, about six feet tall, weighing 180 pounds and wearing a suit, Thomas said.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Police Department fraud unit at (714) 834-4094.
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