Predator seeking ‘patients’

A few Sundays ago, Vikki Gable received a suspicious phone call from a man claiming to be a doctor at Methodist Hospital.

The caller, who identified himself as Dr. Goldstein, said he needed to update Gable’s medical records following her recent hospital stay.

The 32-year-old from the 2400 block of South Reese Street had, in fact, just been in the hospital, but everything else about the call raised red flags.

For starters, the caller asked her age instead of her date of birth, violating standard procedure in the healthcare field. Such a subtlety would have gone unnoticed to anyone outside the medical profession, said Gable, who works for American Access Care at Broad and Juniper streets.

And medical professionals never call patients to update records, nor do they ask medical history over the phone, she noted. The fact that this guy was calling at all – much less on a weekend when doctors don’t generally work – also gave Gable pause.

To put her hunch to the test, Gable asked her caller, "What doctor works on Sundays?" He replied, "Doctors work seven days a week."

With that, Gable told the man she didn’t believe him and hung up.

It wasn’t until news broke Friday about a man posing as a doctor and preying on elderly South Philly women that Gable realized she should go public with her experience. She said she didn’t report the call to police because she hadn’t traced it after hanging up and therefore had no proof.

"Never ever give any information over the phone," Gable advised. "Don’t give your age, birthday, address or Social Security number."

THE SPECIAL VICTIMS Unit has confirmed six incidents of a man claiming to be a doctor and calling elderly women at their homes to schedule physical exams, said the unit’s Capt. John Darby.

Three of the incidents happened March 20, April 26 and May 2 in the area of Broad and Morris, the captain said, adding that he is keeping the locations vague to protect the victims from media intrusion.

Since Friday’s press conference at SVU headquarters about the three incidents, investigators have learned of three more cases in other parts of South Philly, Darby told the Review. One of the victims lives near Front and Christian.

"This guy is a predator," the captain said. "He is posing a threat certainly not only from the sexual-assault viewpoint, but people of this age are fragile and have health issues. An incident like this can pose a serious health risk."

The male – described as white and 40-50 years old with a muscular build and dirty-blond hair – actually showed up at a 74-year-old victim’s house on May 2. After telling the woman he was a doctor, he instructed her to disrobe and then indecently assaulted her, the captain said. When the woman began questioning the male, he left her house, telling her he would return at a later date to finish the exam.

In the March 20 incident, the man went as far as to set up an appointment for a home exam with a 71-year-old woman, police said. But when the self-described doctor could not produce identification, the victim refused to let him in.

In a third case, the man also tried to schedule an exam with an 86-year-old. When the victim told him she would have to confirm this with her personal physician, he became angry, making vulgar and sexual comments, Darby said.

All of the victims are single and live alone.

"Somehow or another, he knows they are single and by themselves. We’re not sure how he’s getting this information," said South Police Division Inspector Steve Johnson.

Isolation makes the elderly far more vulnerable to scams, said Joe Snyder, director of older-adult protective services for the Philadelphia Corporation of Aging.

"The more isolated people are, the more at risk they are for abuse, neglect or exploitation," he said.

Mental impairments such as Alzheimer’s disease are another risk factor, Snyder said.

In addition, senior citizens tend to be more trusting because they come from a different generation "when a person’s word was their bond and you wouldn’t think that somebody would scam you," Snyder said.

But seniors are not the only ones susceptible to con artists, and the director said everyone can benefit from some common-sense advice: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is; don’t be pressured into doing something; and don’t let somebody you don’t know into your home.

"You really have to be super cautious. As sad as that sounds, I think it’s a reality today," he said.

Investigators have been in contact with area hospitals and doctors to help crack the case.

Earlier last week, before the incidents made the news, Gable called Methodist Hospital to schedule some X-rays. At that time, she reported her phony call and learned she had not been the only woman almost duped by a man claiming an affiliation with Methodist.

Six other women had called the hospital with the same complaint, Gable was told.

"We did receive calls and reported them to Philadelphia police and we also encouraged the individuals to report them to the police," said Methodist spokesperson Phyllis Fisher, adding that there is no Dr. Goldstein practicing at the hospital.