Identity theft and the elderly
Identity theft and the elderly
As people get busy buying gifts, identity thieves are also on the lookout for the perfect victims who are mostly elderly, consumer advocates are now warning. An old woman lost her 63000 dollars in a fortnight, from a care giver she had hired. This was done after forging her signature. A social worker looking after an elderly woman used his position to access her mail, bank accounts and house, then proceeded to write himself checks from her account, lying to her and saying that he was paying all her bills. In another area, some elderly people have been getting phone calls from “the Federal Government Assistance” being promised they are going to add $100 in assistance money to their credit card. Then the caller takes the credit card information and charges $100 to the card. That is not the end. The elderly trusting attitude is also another reason why that exposes them to theft. The story goes on and on, and the elderly suffer quietly with very few reported cases of identity theft. The number of elderly ID theft is increasing every year and at a greater percentage. For example, from 2002 to 2004, the number of people over 50 filing complaints grew by 95 percent, to 145,895. The problem is they don’t believe they have been defrauded. Also, they’re embarrassed and fear losing face because they weren’t guarding information closely enough. Thus it is paramount for the elderly and seniors to know that identity theft is not a black marker and something to be embarrassed about. They need pragmatic and proper assistance so that they can have it dealt with once it occurs. Consumer and elderly advocates say that seniors make very lucrative and sometimes quite easy targets. In some cases having substantial assets including homes, large savings accounts and generally being at home during the day exposes them to this scam. But all is not lost; the elderly seem to be taking precautions of their own. A recent study by the Identity Theft Resource Center in San Diego concluded that 43 percent of victims are of the belief that they know their impostor. They have greatly learned not to easily fall for telephone scams or e-mails promising things beyond the yolk of truth. These are heartless criminals attacking the fragile and most vulnerable and innocent victims. Now, at least, there is a new initiative to keep the elderly from being targets. The effort comes after a series of brutal attacks on the elderly. Authorities have warned against an increasing voter registration scam, saying phone calls and e-mails that are asking for their social security and other financial information are inclined to steal from them. ? ?As for violent muggers on the street who are preying on the elderly, the reward is going up from $12,000 to $14,000 for any kind of information to their arrest.
