Do you find the phrase, "Scam preys on senior citizens" ...?

Question

A bit presumptuous, condescending and patronizing?

It's almost become a cliche. I always have to suppress a smile when as I recognize the attitude represented there, that we've become stupider than we were when we were the age of the person using the phrase.

Answer 1

I think you are right. I have all my protections in place and I know that, if it sounds too good to be true it probably isnt.

Not only is it presumptuous,sometimes, its downright insulting.

Great question.

Answer 2

A bit, I suppose.

My objection to it is that the *scammers* prey, not the scam. And the victims are *some* seniors, not all.

Unfortunately I must share this attitude to a degree. Some people do lose some of their faculties as they age, sad to say. And some people (young and old) lack the experience and knowledge to protect themselves against the newer scams.

Consider someone who has lived most of their life without the internet. Consider they were brought up in a time when authorities were respected without question. I think an online scam where someone was pretending to be a law enforcement officer might have a better chance of working.

Consider my mother, who passed away at the age of 81. She was not stupid, nor gullible. She took care of herself just fine. However I doubt it would occur to her that someone could create an official looking document on their home computer demanding that she pay some fee or fine.

Answer 3

No, because here in S FL they are very often the victims of gypsies & other scam artists. They'l tell them that they'll fix their roof for half of their other estimates, take whatever they can get, start the work & then disappear. That's just one example. A lot of the seniors seem to be too trusting, because they rememeber a time when a person's word was good.

It's not that they're stupid; they're naive & need to be educated before their life savings is gone.

Answer 4

Many professional con artists target the people who are not aware of the underhanded tricks that are used to "gather" personal information for purposes of fraud & identity theft. When the title apples to a certain group, they tend to sit up & take notice more than they normally would, because many of them know people who have been victims or they themselves have been victims of heartless criminals who think certain age groups are more gullible than others.

In todays world of sophisticated con games...there is no such thing as TMI (Too Much Information). Scam preys on senior citizen is no different than hearing or reading about a sexual predator that hangs around the local school bus stop. It's good to have some warnings about bad things that could save your life & your savings (if you have any) !

Answer 5

I don't know. I have mixed feelings. My parents raised me with "your word is your bond", there's laws that are there to protect you and you expect them to take over when your judgement isn't perfect. Always think the best, have a kind heart, alot of the old things don't apply today. It's tough to constantly think every transaction or deal is with the devil.

My dad was a very good judge of character but even he got scammed. Thought the law would stand behind him too. It did.....but in principle, not in actual help. My dad said he was an old fool that should have known better.......he just couldn't stay on guard thinking the worst of every person who approached him with all he was dealing with.

Answer 6

Scam artists do prey on the elderly, esp those that live alone, and quite often they are helpless against them. My own mom-in-law was victim to one of them, one of the "driveway resurfacing" guys, who said he would do her driveway for $50, and then proceeded to tell her she owed him $350. He was a big, burly guy, and forced his way into her house, and stood between her and her phone so she could not call anyone. She paid him because she was afraid he would hurt her. After he left, she called my husband, who immediately called the police, but they just took the report and nothing was ever done about it.

Another time, a man who claimed to be a preacher, and was selling insurance, tried to force her to buy it, but she called my husband, and he put a stop to that.

And another time, somebody came to her door to sell her something else, and she was afraid and didn't want to let him in, and he forced her door open and got in the house. He told her she owed him money, and he had to pay him quite a bit of money to get rid of him. She called the police after, but that came to nothing also.

So it does happen, and things like that happened to her elderly friends, also. They are always being called on the phone and asked for banking info and credit card info. Once she gave them banking info, and then later got worried about it, and my husband took her down and closed her checking account immediately.

We have finally gotten it thru her head that she can't be so trusting, and now at least she hangs up the phone at any hint of anyone asking for info, and we now have better locks on her doors and she does keep them locked. And she calls one of her sons before spending any money like that. This is not a stupid woman, either, by any means.

The very elderly can't seem to think as fast as they used to, when confronted with a smooth talking scam artist, or with someone who is able to threaten them, and they get taken more often than you think. It is not patronizing at all, it is a scary fact. Our generation is smarter and more streetwise, as a general rule, than our parents', who are the ages of the ones being victimized, in their 80's and 90's. They really don't understand what is happening, some times. And they also don't know how to prevent it happening to them.

So it is truly nothing to smile about.

Answer 7

I don't like the generalisation implied. However, there have been a lot of instances where mature aged people have been way too trusting, not realising that those days are long gone.
What I hate is when the media refer to any woman over 50 as a "grandmother" - if they did that to me I would sue, especially as I have no children or grandchildren. They never refer to mature aged men as "grandfathers".

Answer 8

I agree with the other posters as well,. There are slick con artists out there and they do prey on the seniors that are trusting. The internet has opened a whole new ballflied for them to con people.

Go down to a disaster site one day and see the people flocking to take your money and run.

Answer 9

I don't think Seniors really fall for these things, it's more of the desire or need to get more money.Some Seniors live on so little, they are grasping at straws trying to make ends meet.In my town, most of the Baggers at the grocery store are over 70 years old.

Answer 10

I think it is because some Seniors are loney and gullible.
They think that they have won the lottery and will have financial gain. They are too trusting of people. and don't have common sense. There are too many con artist out there ready to take you for what you've got.
As they used to say on "Hill Stret Blues" BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!!!!