Man Posing as Medicare Official Preying on Elderly in North Park

A man masquerading as a Medicare official has been attempting to con elderly residents in the North Park area and steal their savings, San Diego police said Friday.

Three cases were reported to police Thursday afternoon, all involving senior citizens. In one case, an 82-year-old woman lost $200 to the man, who has been described as businesslike, neat and looking like a “typical insurance salesman,” said police community relations officer Laurie Wray.

People at two other residences the man visited refused to let him in. One resident later told police that the man said that he was with Medicare and had a big refund for her, flashing a large wad of cash. The resident was suspicious and kept the man outside, Wray said.

Had Done His Homework

“They continued to talk about Medicare. He knew her son’s name and the name of her doctor . . . . He had done some homework,” Wray said. “He kept mentioning this refund, and, because of it, he needed to know how much cash she had and where she kept it in her house.”

The woman eventually called police. When an officer was sent to investigate, another neighborhood woman complained about a visit by the man, whom she did not let into her home, Wray said.

Then police received another call, about 45 minutes after the first, from a couple who had let the Medicare impostor into their home.

“He flashed some papers at them, said he needed to see some identification cards. The lady produced her wallet, which he took while he continued to talk and show them papers. Then he said he had to get more papers from his car and walked outside,” Wray said.

When the couple, an 82-year-old woman and an 84-year-old man, went to the door, they saw the man fleeing on foot, already halfway down the block. When the woman checked her wallet, she found $200 missing, police said.

The man is described by police as white, about 50 years old and 5 feet, 8 inches to 6 feet tall. He has a medium build with a pot belly and brown hair, parted in the middle.

He was last seen wearing a white, long-sleeve, button-down shirt with a dark tie and dark slacks.

“We’ve only had three cases reported to us . . . but, unfortunately, this kind of scam doesn’t always get reported. The second person didn’t call us, our officers found her,” Wray said.