Fraud Against Seniors   
      
   The FBIs Common Fraud Schemes webpage provides tips on how you can   
   protect yourself and your family from fraud. Senior citizens especially   
   should be aware of fraud schemes for the following reasons:    
      
     Senior citizens are most likely to have a nest egg, to own their home,   
     and/or to have excellent creditall of which make them attractive to   
     con artists.   
      
     People who grew up in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s were generally   
     raised to be polite and trusting. Con artists exploit these traits,   
     knowing that it is difficult or impossible for these individuals to   
     say no or just hang up the telephone.   
      
     Older Americans are less likely to report a fraud because they dont   
     know who to report it to, are too ashamed at having been scammed, or   
     dont know they have been scammed. Elderly victims may not report   
     crimes, for example, because they are concerned that relatives may   
     think the victims no longer have the mental capacity to take care of   
     their own financial affairs.   
      
     When an elderly victim does report the crime, they often make poor   
     witnesses. Con artists know the effects of age on memory, and they are   
     counting on elderly victims not being able to supply enough detailed   
     information to investigators. In addition, the victims realization   
     that they have been swindled may take weeksor more likely, monthsafter   
     contact with the fraudster. This extended time frame makes it even   
     more difficult to remember details from the events.   
      
     Senior citizens are more interested in and susceptible to products   
     promising increased cognitive function, virility, physical   
     conditioning, anti-cancer properties, and so on. In a country where   
     new cures and vaccinations for old diseases have given every American   
     hope for a long and fruitful life, it is not so unbelievable that the   
     con artists products can do what they claim.   
      
      
      
      
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