The saddest part of today's society is its elderly people. No longer are they cared for like they used to be and neither the family functions nor gatherings like them as it used to be in earlier times. It is no wonder that they have fallen prey to scammers, who steal sensitive personal and financial information and take away money from their accounts.
The American Journal of Public health states that about 5.4 percent of older persons experience some form of scam or another. The situation gets alarming when we see that they aren't just abused by cyber criminals but even by their family members and friends as well.
The American Journal of Public health states that about 5.4 percent of older persons experience some form of scam or another. The situation gets alarming when we see that they aren't just abused by cyber criminals but even by their family members and friends as well.
How Are The Elderly Scammed By Fraudsters Online Today?
In order to avoid scams, it is vital to know what types of scams are out there. One type of scam is wherein the imposter poses as someone from the IRS, telling the elderly person that they have many tax dues unpaid. The person informs the senor citizen to deposit money into an account to complete the payment.
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| Image Courtesy:Forbes |
Another type is when a person poses as a grandchild saying that he or she is in jail and needs money to bail out or is in a predicament, such as their wallet has been stolen or something similar. As they do not want the parents to know, they are calling up the grandparents to get necessary money to get out of the problem.
Similarly a different situation is where a person catches a lonely and isolated elderly person online and makes friends with that person for a couple of months. As the senior citizen does not have anyone to trust and rely on, they tend to talk to the imposter who after a while asks them to send money, which is an activity that happens a couple of times, till he or he is caught or someone warns the elderly person that it is an imposter calling and asking for money. It is usually elderly with health problems and declining mental faculties who are usually targeted.
How can financial fraud against the elderly be stopped? It is essential for them to be educated about such situations through local awareness bodies, social workers and others who love to work for a social cause. It is important for relatives and institutions taking care of them to prevent them from talking to people who can take advantage of them by monitoring their social activities in and outside the home or institution.
They should be taught not to give away personal and confidential information to anyone over the phone or while surfing the net as this could lead to money being taken from their account by scrupulous people. They should be taught simple but effective ways to manage their finance such that they do not rely on others for such activities.
Similarly a different situation is where a person catches a lonely and isolated elderly person online and makes friends with that person for a couple of months. As the senior citizen does not have anyone to trust and rely on, they tend to talk to the imposter who after a while asks them to send money, which is an activity that happens a couple of times, till he or he is caught or someone warns the elderly person that it is an imposter calling and asking for money. It is usually elderly with health problems and declining mental faculties who are usually targeted.
How can financial fraud against the elderly be stopped? It is essential for them to be educated about such situations through local awareness bodies, social workers and others who love to work for a social cause. It is important for relatives and institutions taking care of them to prevent them from talking to people who can take advantage of them by monitoring their social activities in and outside the home or institution.
They should be taught not to give away personal and confidential information to anyone over the phone or while surfing the net as this could lead to money being taken from their account by scrupulous people. They should be taught simple but effective ways to manage their finance such that they do not rely on others for such activities.
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