6

President’s Message continued

4. The “bad guy” must be able to get the victim to walk
around with them and manipulate the victim into
concentrating on something.

The past ways in the city of Fort Lauderdale we have seen
these so called introductions or “Hooks”;

• The exterminator who is spraying your neighbor’s

property and wants to cut a deal for you due to having
extra product.

•  The contractor who is doing work on a neighbor’s

property and needs to access your backyard in order to
finish the work.

• A land surveyor who is doing work at a neighbor’s

house finds and issue with their property and wants to
see if all the houses on the street have the same issue.

• A worker advising that the seawall in the victim’s

backyard has an issue as they are working across the
waterway and could see the victim’s wall and the
problems they see.

• Selling impact windows

• Unsolicited roof repair.

• Driveway sealing

(The above are past schemes used and it should be noted
that other schemes no doubt are in use.)

Prevention Suggestions

These scams and methods of operation can come in all
forms and presentations. These individuals have been
known to bring a small child with them to make their scam
more real or sincere. As a way to guard against or deter
these types of incidents from happening it is suggested that
homeowners do not open the door for anyone they do not
know or are not expecting. Communication can be done
through a locked door by talking louder and asking the
individual to leave. It is suggested that while doing this if
the individual is persistent that you have a phone/cell
phone handy to call police immediately. Informing the
persistent individual that you are going to call police may
also be helpful. 

Homeowners must also be aware that these individuals can
contact you while you are outside your home such as in a
driveway, doing yard work, etc. When outside for
extended periods of time you should have your garage
doors and other doors locked. If you are approached while

at or near your vehicle retreating to your vehicle may be a
viable option as this is a secure and mobile choice.

While out shopping you must be aware of where and how
accessible your valuables are. Be mindful of where you
store your purse while shopping at the supermarket. These
individuals can easily make contact with you in a store and
distract you from and draw you away from your cart and
belongings. These types of situations can also easily occur
in the parking lot. Unfortunately, we must be on-guard and
aware of our surroundings and skeptical of people trying
to “help”

Conclusion

The saying “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably
isn’t” is very fitting for these types of situations and crimes.
Many conversations with victims seem to involve the
comment “I should have known this was bad”. Hopefully
through education and preparation we can stop these
types of crimes from occurring. It does not hurt to help a
neighbor with this type of education/preparation and
keeping a watchful eye out for them. Our elderly
community is made up of very prideful people and if they
fall victim they may be too embarrassed to say anything. It
is helpful for neighbors to watch out for each other to help
prevent/deter/thwart these crimes from happening.

Sincerely,

Terry Bond, President
terryb@landingsra.com
The Landings Residential Association

The Landings & Bay Colony

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