visual advocacy::narrowing focus

Scams on the Elderly

Some issues to consider:

1.) A vulnerable demographic

As a whole, older generations are targeted for numerous reasons. Chief among them is the fact that they possess the greatest percentage of disposable income with the least amount of debt. (SocialPC) In addition, roughly 80% of people over the age of 65 have at least one major health problem, and thus spend a considerable amount of their monthly budget on health care.

2.) Reluctance to report

Another major issue is the reluctance of the victims to report any instances of scamming/fraud. This is primarily because they are concerned that their family may come to the conclusion that they no longer have the mental capacity to take care of his or her own financial affairs. Personal independence is still a very important thing, and they don't want to seem helpless or dependant on others.

3.) Numerous types of fraud

There are a myriad of different scams that these older generations are often presented with. To name a few:

• Jury duty summons - A caller claims to be a Jury Coordinator. If you protest that you never received a summons for jury duty, the scammer asks for your social security number and date of birth so he/she verify the information and cancel the supposed arrest warrant. By disclosing this information results in a stolen identity.
• Bogus Foreign Lotteries - You are informed of a large lottery win, but have to send off administration, taxes, and other fees in order to claim winnings.
• Social Security Administration - People posing as SSN Administration claim that you have been overpaid on your benefits and owe the government back payments. The con-man escorts the victim to the bank to withdraw the overpayment.