Elderly Albany Man Targeted in 'Accident' Scam – Police Issue Warning

An elderly Albany man was approached by a woman in the parking lot of El Cerrito Plaza at 11 a.m. on Friday, saying the man had struck her with his car, according to police.

It was a scam attempt, one of three that accused elderly people of hitting a female victim in El Cerrito parking lots Friday, according to El Cerrito police.

The Albany man was approached by "a white adult female, approximately 50 to 60 years old," police said in a community alert. 

"A witness to the incident came to the man's defense and told him that she saw the woman hit the back of his car with her hand," according to police. "The man drove home to Albany and realized that the woman and her accomplice were following him.

"The pair of fraudsters confronted him at his house and demanded $1,200 for medical bills. The man sought help from his neighbor and the scam artists fled in their car." 

Witnesses described the woman as white with platinum-dyed hair, 5-feet 5-inches tall and wearing an oatmeal-colored jacket, police said. Her accomplice was described as a white female of Spanish descent in her late 30s, 5-feet 5-inches tall with black hair and dark clothing, police said. 

Police provided the following summaries of the other two cases:

At 1245 hours, in the parking lot of Safeway, two women once again attempted to defraud an elderly man. This time, the primary suspect once again claimed that the man struck her with his car. The elderly man decided not to talk with the women and drove to Chevron. The women followed the man in a dark colored SUV, similar to a Jeep. The man called the police from Chevron and the women drove off. 

This time, witnesses described the primary suspect as a white female, 75 to 80 years old, with white hair. Witnesses estimated her height as 5'3", her weight as 110 pounds, and remembered her wearing a black skirt and multi-colored blouse. Witnesses described the second woman as white, 35 to 40 years old, 5'2" to 5'4" tall, with her hair pulled back and wearing pants and a sweater. 

Finally, at 1330 hours, in the Safeway parking lot once again, the two women approached yet another elderly man and tried to defraud him. The story was the same but this time the man went to the ATM in the store to pay the woman. A store staff member stopped the man and told him to call the police. Not surprisingly, the women fled. 

Officers believe the women were associated with a blue 2003 Honda CR-V. 

Police urged citizens "to be on the lookout for scams, particularly around the holiday season. Also, keep an eye out for elderly shoppers. These two suspects appear to be targeting the elders of our community. Please call the police if you spot these women."

Call 911 in an emergency. Otherwise, El Cerrito Police can be reached at 510-237-3233.