We recently came across an article that reported how an unsuspecting elderly couple was bilked of some hard earned money and thought we could probably use their story to help educate others.

Apparently, the Columbus Ohio couple was pulling into the driveway at their home and an unmarked gold Ford Taurus immediately followed and parked behind them. A man got out of the Taurus and quickly flashed what appeared to be a badge and identified himself as a detective to the elderly couple. He stated that he needed to look for someone in their home. After going inside, the “detective” asked the 79 year old man if he had any money. He stated that he needed to check the serial numbers. The elderly man complied with the request but refused to go downtown when asked. The “detective” ended up leaving (of course with the money) and has yet to be apprehended by police officials. Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of $2000 to anyone that can provide information by December 23 that will lead to an arrest and indictment of the robber. If this rings a bell to you, you can call anonymously at 614-461-8477 or text a tip to 274637, keyword CMH.

Of course, the sole purpose of this article is not to help you become $2000 richer by helping the authorities capture the unscrupulous character mentioned above (Have at it though!). We want to bring this story to light so that we can provide you with tips and information so that you know what to do if you encounter upon a similar situation.

• ASK FOR ID - First and foremost, if anyone portrays themselves to be a detective or police officer and they are not wearing a uniform or exiting a clearly marked police car, you will want to ask for appropriate ID. The ID should not be a standard issue driver’s license (anyone has one of those). It should be a photo ID that represents the law enforcement entity in which they are employed.
• ASK FOR THE BADGE - They should have a badge (no exceptions). The badge should look and feel real, have proper inscriptions and not resemble something that Woody would wear in Toy Story.
• Call 911 - If you are suspicious about the person approaching you and question their legitimacy you should call 911. The dispatcher that you reach should be able to confirm the validity of that person and send a back-up officer if you are still uncomfortable. Also, if you are driving and are pulled over by an unmarked police car, you should call 911 as well. Tell the dispatcher you are being followed by a suspicious car that is indicating you should pull over. Let them know you don’t believe it’s an officer and you’d like confirmation. If it is an officer, the police dispatcher will be able to tell you what kind of car you’re driving and then confirm that you have an officer behind you. Generally they will also send an on-duty officer in a marked vehicle out to meet you.
• REQUEST A SUPERVISOR - If you are unhappy with your order or service at McDonald’s you can do this. The same is true with law enforcement. If you question the validity or actions of the person pulling you over or knocking on your door, you can request that they call in their shift supervisor to help moderate or validate the situation. It is not an uncommon request.

We hope this article is helpful to our readers at SmartSecurityPeople.com. If you have additional tips and information that you would like to share, please feel free to do so below in the comment section.