Kearns Republican Rep. Eric Hutchings is working on legislation that would create an online database of con artists who prey on the elderly, modeled after the state's sex offender registry. Not only would the database list those who target senior citizens but it would contain information on their crimes as well.

We'll give Hutchings credit for good intentions, but is creating a database of con artists targeting senior citizens worthwhilefi Are senior citizens especially stupidfi We don't think so. Their long life experience has made most of them wiser than the rest of us.

Of course, some of the very elderly suffer from Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia, and some con artists actually seek them out. This ought to be punished severely. But when does one start being a senior citizenfi You can get a discount at many restaurants at age 50, and AARP will start sending you literature.

The larger question is whether con artists are as dangerous as sex offenders -- and the common-sense answer is that, of course, they're not. Losing one's life savings or house may be rough, but a sex offender's victims are robbed of innocence and emotional security, things that cannot be replaced or restored easily, if at all. The community has a greater need to be aware of sex offenders in the area than flim-flam artists.

Moreover, we venture to guess that a large percentage of people victimized by con artists do so out of greed. They want to make a fast or easy buck. It's hard to feel a great deal of sympathy for such.

There is little evidence suggesting that posting registries of offenders is a deterrent to crime. Sex-offender registries just give members of the community an idea of whom to look out for. A registry would seem to have less value in the case of con artists because there aren't as many of them. Few individuals are likely to show up on any neighborhood map.

One flaw with registries is that they contain only names of people who got caught. There is no way to list the active criminals. Just as a sex offender registry showing no perverts in the neighborhood might lull a parent into a false sense of security, a con-artist registry may provide a false assurance when dealing with the man who promises to make you a fortune.

And where do we stop with registriesfi Do we create a listing of all burglars who target single-family homesfi How about car thieves who go after sports utility vehiclesfi To be fair, we could just require everyone who has been convicted of any crime to be on a registry. Perhaps politicians should be listed as con artists.

Another problem that comes with registries is outdated information. The lists need a lot of ongoing maintenance. While the law requires sex offenders to register with the state, for example, addresses can be wrong. The Legislature had to require sex offenders to renew their drivers' licenses annually because the Department of Corrections lacks the resources to verify that sex offenders have not moved without reporting it.

However, there is part of Hutchings's idea worth pursuing: Creating a database of all the scams that have been perpetrated against senior citizens. Ignorance is a con artist's most powerful tool. It was through public exposure that the Nigerian scam on the Internet lost most of its effectiveness.

As long as people don't hear about a scam from victims, con artists can continue to shear their gullible sheep.

Along with letting people know what scams have been uncovered, a database could help remind people to be more skeptical when approached by someone offering a get-rich-quick scheme or a service at a price too low to believe.

If Utah can find a way to teach all residents, not just senior citizens, how to spot a scam, there will be little need for a registry of con artists.

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What do you thinkfi

Should Utah create a registry of con artists who target senior citizensfi Send your comments to dhpolls@heraldextra.com or call 344-2942. Please leave your name, hometown and phone number with your comments. E-mail comments should not exceed 100 words; voice-mail comments should be no longer than 30 seconds. Anonymous and unverifiable responses will not be published.

The Daily Herald will publish comments on Oct. 22.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A8.

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