August 2023

Pickpocketing is a crime that was depicted as far
back as Shakespeare.
In those days, travelers
worried about the possibility of theft of money
when they ventured into foreign lands. Others
didn’t trouble themselves too much about “petty
thieves.”
Today we don’t need to go further than
the local drugstore to become the target of
“experienced crooks.” Yet men still use their
back packet and women carry huge handbags
filled with identifiable items.
In an effort to draw attention to our dangerous
habits, Amy Nofziger, AARP’s Director of Fraud
Prevention, created an illustrated page titled
Wallet Audit. It appeared in a recent issue of the magazine and these
are the warnings she emphasized:
36
Check Your Wallet
By: Heather Latimer / Heather’s Self-Help Tips
Rule of Law?
By: Dan Hyde / Call to Action
The last time you went to the grocery store, did
you fill up your cart, bypass the checkout cash
register and make a beeline to your car quickly
unloading the “gifts” into your trunk and leave
the parking lot?
If you’re like most
people, the answer
is no. But for a
growing part of our
population paying
for what you “buy” is
merely an option.
This problem is
escalating throughout
the country at an
alarming rate and
the rule of law that
most of us respect is
increasingly becoming
a joke. Taking responsibility for our actions has become more myth
than fact.
A foundation of widespread societal anarchy has been laid. Once it
metastasizes - and its well on its way of doing just that - our entire
system of rule of law and governance collapses.
Police and security guards have their hands tied when trying to
enforce the law. A theft in progress, even one that they witness in-theact
is systematically ignored.
Of course, this does nothing but encourage more theft. Why? Police
August 2023
1. Never store your house key in your wallet. With your address
on adjacent cards, burglars can rob your home before you return.
2. You don’t need checks to pay nowadays
so don’t include a blank check. A few small
bills suitable for tips, and sufficient for a taxi
(if there’s an emergency) are enough.
3. Leave your Social Security card and
store credit cards in a safe place at home.
4. Carry your Medicare and related
insurance cards only when you are actually
going to a medical appointment.
Nofziger stated that only your driver’s license
and one credit card are essential. I suggest you
hide them in an inaccessible spot - perhaps a
waist pouch or money belt.
Heather Latimer is a nationally recognized specialist in making
difficult subjects easy and author of 17 books. See amazon.com/
heather latimer/how to overcome.
agencies nationwide are under the constant threat of “defund the
police” movements which in turn has handcuffed (excuse the pun) the
agencies from taking decisive action for fear of losing their jobs.
From grocery store chains, home improvement centers to drug
stores, all are victims of this so-called “victim-less” crimes. Have you
ever heard of anything so preposterous in your life?
It is now common
to see stores locking
up their shelves in a
vain effort to prevent
theft. It places the rest
of us “law abiding
citizens “ in a shoppers
bind.
Every time we want
to purchase something
out of a locked shelf,
we have to call for
assistance. That
makes our shopping
experience a dreadful act and challenges our patience.
What do we do? Parents need to step up and hold their children
accountable for their actions. But most importantly, and the only way
to effectively reverse this widespread lawlessness is to hold all of our
elected officials to account.
Rule of Law begins and ends with them! If they have no respect for
the law by advocating “defund the police” actions no one can or will!
Dan Hyde is a passionate and effective advocate for the senior
community. He can be reached at: dhyde9@cox.net.