When she knocked on the door of an older couple in Mililani, the woman claimed to know the couple, saying she grew up in the neighborhood a long time ago.

By the way, she said, she also had a roofing company and would give them a free roof inspection.

She and another man talked their way inside the home, and while chatting, managed to distract the couple long enough to look in the resident’s purse and steal her credit cards.

Luckily, a home security camera captured video of the woman stealing items and a jury convicted Katy Sterio of 14 counts of credit card theft, identity theft and fraudulent use of a credit card.

She was sentenced to 10 years in prison because Sterio was previously convicted of stealing from older Hawaii residents.

Scott Spallina, who prosecuted Sterio with the Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney’s Elder Abuse Justice Unit, believes these kinds of door-to-door theft cases are more common than you may think.

“A lot of it is not being reported to the authorities. People don’t want to be embarrassed,” he said.

Much attention these days is focused on electronic con artists and identity thieves who use the phone or computers to steal your money.

But while some scammers have gone high tech, one of the greatest threats to older people remains at their front door.

The con artists commonly approach older residents offering to do home repairs, maybe repave a driveway or work on the lawn. They try to gain to confidence of residents and get payment up front.

Sometimes there’s no contract and the work is often shoddy, if it’s done at all.

If they can get into the house, they may look for things to steal, Spallina said.

Many of these door-to-door con artists are nomadic. When they feel police are starting to close in, they will leave a neighborhood and show up again years later when the heat has died down. That can make it hard to catch them.

Spallina believes in a multi-pronged approach to fighting door-to-door scammers.

This includes:

>> Education: People should learn not to answer the door if a stranger is there, just as people are taught not to answer the phone or reply to email from strangers.

Some police officers also need to be educated that many of these door-to-door con artists are criminals who practice theft by deception, he said. They are more than civil matters to be referred to lawyers.

>> Enforcement: Police and prosecutors are working to catch these con artists. If residents see suspicious activity or if they’ve been victimized they should call police and file a complaint right away. That will help efforts to make arrests and get convictions.

>> Deterrence: The Honolulu Prosecutors Office is pushing the Legislature to enact stiffer penalties for financial crimes against kupuna.

Spallina said when these con artists are convicted, they should go to jail for a long time.

In Hawaii, we tend to be trusting and hospitable. But perhaps we adults should follow the advice we give to our children and grandchildren: If someone you don’t know shows up at your front door, don’t talk to strangers.

Barbara Kim Stanton is the state director for AARP Hawaii, an organization dedicated to empowering people to choose how they live as they age.