Millions of older people live in fear of scams and a huge number worry about answering the phone or front door

Fearful of scammers: A significant minority worry about answering the phone or front door

One in five older people fear picking up the phone and one in 10 worry about opening the front door in case it is a scammer, new research reveals.

Although anyone can be scammed, older people are at greater risk of becoming victims of certain kinds of fraud, particularly those who live alone or are cognitively impaired or recently bereaved, says Age UK.

Some 85 per cent of victims of doorstep crime are 65 or older and the average age of a postal scam victim is 75, according to figures from Trading Standards cited by the charity.

Age UK says an undercurrent of fear of scams is affecting some older people’s daily lives, and it has published a new report on empowering them to protect themselves.

Two years ago it launched a prevention programme funded by Lloyds Banking Group to help those at risk or affected by this type of crime.

So far, nearly 26,000 older people have taken part in scam awareness talks and nearly 5,000 had one-to-one support sessions.

The charity says fraudsters often target older people with specific types of scams because they are perceived as more trusting and less technologically savvy, resulting in financial losses and a profound emotional and psychological impact on them.

It adds many older people who are victimised experience a deep sense of shame, embarrassment, depression, social isolation and decline in physical health, and some lose their independence following a scam.

Meanwhile a survey of 10,000 over-50s, weighted to be nationally representative of this cohort of the population, revealed a significant minority are wary of carrying out everyday activities in case they are targeted by fraudsters. It found:

– Some 11 per cent, or the equivalent of 2.8million adults aged over 50, fear opening their front doors because of scams;

– And 19 per cent, or 4.9million older people, are scared to answer their phones;

– Between 5 and 8 per cent say worry about scams keeps them up at night, stops them using the internet or smartphones, or puts them off going out and enjoying themselves.

‘Many scammers are highly sophisticated criminals and it’s easy for anyone to be tricked by them,’ says Caroline Abrahams, charity Director at Age UK.

‘However, older people sometimes face a unique set of risk factors, including social isolation, limited digital literacy and cognitive impairments, that make them prime targets for fraudsters.

‘Our new report sheds light on the extraordinary prevalence of scams and the urgent need for scam prevention education and support among older people – especially for those living in vulnerable circumstances.’

What do older people say about scams?

Age UK compiled responses from people who participated in its scam prevention programme.

You only have to benefit from one thing because that might be the one thing, your weak spot, where people could get through. But who knows for the future? We just don’t know what these clever people, these scammers, are going to go for next.

I put the phone down now, which I never used to. I wouldn’t have done it before.

So, I’ve learned what not to say, which is a good thing… Because I live on my own and I’m housebound. And my thought was, I get carried away sometimes when they phone up and say you’ve won something. Tell us your address or give me your sort code, and we will send it on to you. You know? I’ve learned now not to do that because I did do it in the beginning.

I had to answer every phone call [when my husband was ill] because it could be the district nurse, could be the doctors, could be anyone concerning him. And that was when I felt very vulnerable because I knew I had to answer phone calls. Because I can’t remember all the numbers. And so now I know, because of the lady coming and giving the talk, I don’t have to answer them.

My husband… he’d be the type that would easily believe what somebody had told him on the phone. But now I’ve schooled him, completely schooled him on that. And now… if anybody is on the phone, he just says, I don’t give out any information over the phone.

This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk