Colorado Attorney General
Ken Salazar
Better Business BureausÒ
Serving Colorado
Why do Cons Target
Seniors?
Beware!
Accessibility-
Being retired or suffering from physical limitations, seniors are the
group of people most likely to be at home to receive a telemarketer's call
or a visit from a door to door sales person.
Con men prey
on vulnerability and loneliness. They may spend hours talking to potential
victims. At first, they try to secure a small contribution and establish
some sort of trusting relationship with an elderly person. They may even
seek to substitute their guidance in place of family members or friends.
Isolation-Isolation
is an increasingly sad fact of life for seniors. Loneliness can sometimes
cause them to reach out to telemarketers for company, and thus lay the
groundwork for being conned. Furthermore, seniors may not have regular
contact with relatives and friends with whom they discuss investment
schemes or financial affairs. They often have no one they can entrust to
double-check their financial affairs.
Money-
Cons target seniors because they believe seniors have a ready
and large supply of money from their life's savings or they have valuable
property.
Investment schemes may
appear particularly tempting to seniors because they are frequently on a
fixed income but would like to make more money for their future security.
AARP ElderWatch is here to help. Call us Monday-Friday
9am-4pm We will listen.