![]() ![]() In one scenario, perpetrators read obituaries and use the information they get to contact the grieving widow or widower. There are two types of funeral senior fraud. Not only are older people ripped off for money, but they buy substances that can be harmful to their health. Unfortunately, the negative consequences of this scheme are twofold. ![]() In 2013 alone, the FDA shut down 1,677 websites offering counterfeit prescription drugs or drugs without appropriate safeguards. Scamming people into buying these bogus medications is apparently a big business in the USA. So, a counterfeit drug scam is a type of internet senior citizen scams. Fake Prescription DrugsĪs older people are trying to find medications at lower prices, scammers set up an online sale of drugs that are often counterfeit. In another scenario of this elder fraud, con people provide seniors with phony services and use their personal information to bill Medicare and take the money. Knowing this, they pretend to be a Medicare representative asking older people to give them their personal information, which they use for illegal actions. In fact, health insurance or Medicare scam is one of the most common senior scams. Since all US citizens and permanent residents over 65 are eligible for Medicare, fraudsters don’t even have to do any research on health insurance providers of senior people. Therefore, scammers are aware that they are likely to get away with it. In addition, they often don’t know where they can report scams. On the other hand, if their financial situation is not that good, they easily fall victim to deceitful promises of getting rich quickly.įinally, elder fraud makes the elderly feel embarrassed about being scammed, so they don’t report the crime to the authorities. This makes it easy for con artists to trick them into giving them money or personal details.Īnother reason why scams targeting senior citizens are so frequent is that they may have large sums of money at hand thanks to their retirement savings and pension checks. Also, a lot of older adults have memory problems, dementia and Alzheimer’s, or impaired cognitive function. On top of that, there is usually no one to check up on their finances, so there are many financial crimes against the elderly. ![]() So, why do these scams happen? Many scammers play on the “relationship” card as they know that senior citizens often live lonely lives. What’s more, the FBI reports that elderly fraud abuse costs senior people $3 billion every year. This percentage probably doesn’t even give an accurate picture of this problem as many scams go unreported. 70S PLASTIC WHISTLE PHONE SCAM HOW TOSo read on to learn how to protect yourself! Why Is Scamming the Elderly Easy?īefore we move onto practical examples of fraud and how the elderly can avoid becoming victims of fraudsters, let’s see why the elderly are so susceptible to scams in the first place.Īccording to senior scams statistics compiled by the American Journal of Public Health, about 5% of seniors become victims of fraudulent schemes every year. ![]() Our detailed guide covers typical scams and offers some of the great tips for protecting against fraud. These unscrupulous people are skilled at gaining the trust of senior citizens so they can rob them of their money or identities. Although it’s inconceivable that people would take advantage of the elderly, there is an increasing number of senior scams targeting this vulnerable population. ![]()
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