Older Adults Scammed More Often By Relatives Than Strangers, Study Finds

Studyfinds ^ | Aug 17 2019 | John Anderer

[Pearls Before Swine]

You take your opportunities where you find them. /S

[Big Red Badger]

My GENERATION;

“Hope I die
Before I get old!”

MaMaMa,
My GENERATION!

[catnipman]

“My elderly father was recently scammed out of 40K. These evil people who pray on the elderly have a special place in hell.”

agree 100% ... would also like to see life imprisonment without parole for those who prey on the elderly ...

[cyclotic]

I know a guy who was poised to sell his business to his son in law.

A week before they were to sign the papers, SIL told him that he was quitting and taking all the customers with him. The customers constituted most of the business value.

Stupid SIL is going to be real surprised to find that he and his wife are specifically not in the will.

[sheana]

Hubbys sister talked their dad into changing his trust from hubby to her....while he had dementia. Then she threw him into a home and cashed out $500k worth of cd’s. She had control of him and his money til he died. All in all she wound up stealing about $800k. He was miserable and didn’t understand because he didn’t remember doing it. We were in court 3 yrs trying to get primary back so we could get him back in his home with a caretaker. He died during the process. I hope she rots in hell.

[Honest Nigerian]

Data proves more Americans scammed by Federal, state and local government than all other scammers combined.
Xxxxxxxxxcx
There. I think we can lock this thread.

[Roccus]

Beware of relatives asking for money.

No kids of my own, so my nieces used to hit me up. All's good now, though. I "loaned" them enough money that I haven't heard from them in years......and I'm fine with that.

[Gay State Conservative]

I'm a big fan of "The Crime Channel".I remember hearing a detective involved in a murder case say that when investigating the murder of a woman "before you look at the outlaws you look at the in-laws".Meaning,of course,that it's often a friend/relative rather than a stranger.

Sounds like the same thing applies for victims of con artists.

[Clutch Martin]

I’ll have to check my email and see if my less than intelligent niece has sent out another GoFundMe email. I swear my oldest sister is a psychopath and so is her daughter.

But I will say this 15 or so years ago it was estimated that >80% of identity theft occurred within families and extended families.

[minnesota_bound]

The crooks practice on their family first.

[Oatka]

Beware of relatives asking for money.
No kids of my own, so my nieces used to hit me up. All's good now, though. I "loaned" them enough money that I haven't heard from them in years......and I'm fine with that.

Some years ago Ann Landers had a query from an old rich guy as to how to handle money-seeking relatives.

Another rich-old guy came up with a Solomon-like solution. He said that whenever he was approached, e told the relative that he would put up the same amount at the bank and said relative could take out a loan with that as collateral. That way, if the person fell behind on payments, he wouldn't have to dun them, with all that entailed, as the bank would do that for him.

He said there was an immediate separation between the good ones and the grifters. The first group thought it was a good idea, the second said, "Oh never mind"

Granted he ran the risk of a total default, but that never happened as the dead beats backed off.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

I am not surprised.

You get scammed by people you trust.

You trust family.

[Gamecock]

The Dewey Decimal System, what a scam that was!