Police confirmed yesterday that there has been a substantial rise in reports from senior citizens who believed they had been the victims or intended victims of fraudsters.

Police spokesman Dwayne Caines said the period following Hurricane Fabian had seen an unusually high number of instances in which residents were either charged inflated prices for work or had paid for work that was never done.

Mr. Caines said: ?We have noticed that there are unscrupulous members of the community who are targeting senior citizens. We especially saw an emergence of this after Hurricane Fabian.?

His comments came after National Office for Seniors and the Physically Challenged manager Dr. Melvin Dickinson revealed con men were trying to take advantage of seniors ?all the time?.

One case, which came before a Magistrate this month, involved 34-year-old con man Kenneth Faries, who was paid $1,861 to repair a woman?s roof shortly after Hurricane Fabian but never returned to do the job. Faries eventually received a prison sentence of two years.

Mr. Caines highlighted the difficulties of bringing those who commit such crimes to justice: ?In these cases, one has to identify the specific crime that has taken place. The identification of these offences are a bit more challenging... But we warn anyone who is thinking about engaging in this sort of activity that they will be brought before the courts.?

He added: ?It?s a perennial problem and one that goes in conjunction with the nature of criminals who find that they can prey on the vulnerable.?

Mr. Caines said crime prevention officers were on hand to come and talk to groups of seniors citizens who are concerned about how they might avoid being ripped off.

But he also offered specific advice:

Before opening the door to strangers, demand to see some form of identification. Police officers, Belco and Telco employees are all required to carry identification when working out of the office.

Don?t rush into anything involving money or property.

Beware of people coming to your door offering to do jobs around the house and asking for payment in advance or offering to do something for nothing.

Before signing a contract, consult a trusted person in authority (such as a lawyer or bank official) and have that person examine the papers on your behalf.

Yesterday Dr. Dickinson added: ?The issue is really accountability. The truth is, if a senior citizen is thinking about having work done they should call us so we can help them. A contractor is far more likely to remain accountable to an office like this.?

The National Office for Seniors and the Physically Challenged can be reached on 292-7802.

See editorial on Page 4