Scam Targeting Senior Citizens

Retirement Seniors Authorities say a Theodore man is behind a roofing scam. Deputies say he's preying on the elderly.

by Diana Lucio

Published: Wed, March 19, 2008 - 8:35 pm CST Last Updated: Wed, March 19, 2008 - 8:52 pm CST

Authorities are looking for 27 year old Tommy Dean Moore Junior who they say scammed over two dozen people for their money over the past few weeks.
Mobile County Sheriff Sam Cochran says Moore is targeting the elderly, like 80 year old Marie Wilkerson. "We believe he is particularly targeting senior citizens, sometimes they are a little more easily convinced that they need a roof job or something of this sort, scare them into paying money up front, "said Cochran.

Wilkerson says that's what happened to her when she thought Moore was repairing her roof, when he was really ripping her off after she wrote him a check for fifteen hundred and fifty dollars. "The more I think about it, it just makes me sick on my stomach now to think that I was so stupid, that all of this be said and done, I couldn't do nothing about it or I didn't do nothing about it,"said Wilkerson.
But Cochran says if people don't come forward like Wilkerson, it could happen to someone else.
"People prey on elderly people because then sometimes elderly people are embarrassed that they realize they've been taken. And quite honestly there are a lot of victims out there that never report it to us,"said Sheriff Sam Cochran.
According to the Mobile County Sheriff's Office, Moore has several outstanding warrants for drugs and theft. If he's arrested he could face felony charges.
If you have any information or know where Tommy Moore is call CRIMESTOPPERS at 208-7000.

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