Even when people are old, they still can't escape love liars, and they are the kind who liar money. "When seniors are scammed out of their money, they get scammed out of more money because they have more money to be scammed from," said Amy Nofziger, director of the AARP Fraud Victim Support Center.
According to data from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, Americans of all ages were defrauded of more than $1 billion (approximately RMB 7.2 billion) by scammers in 2021, up from $362 million (approximately RMB 2.6 billion) in 2018. Victims often pay via untraceable methods such as direct bank transfers or cryptocurrency, making recovering funds nearly impossible.
Romance fraud has become a major type of fraud targeting older Americans. On the dating site Facebook, scammers are taking on various identities to target seniors. Once a connection is established, the scammers move to private messages or emails and are soon asking for funds for emergencies or emergencies. Many victims transfer money out of trust or sympathy only to find out they have been defrauded.
Why do older Americans fall into these traps? The following may be some reasons:
Intergenerational trust: Many older adults may be taken advantage of because they grew up in an era when trust was lacking.
Desire for companionship: Loneliness can make the promise of companionship alluring.
Fear of Stigma: Some victims don’t report scams because of embarrassment or unfamiliarity with digital scam reporting methods.
The amount of fraud is huge! Is a lonely old man in America being targeted by a romance scammer?
How can we help seniors avoid falling into these traps?
Verify your profile: A fast-moving relationship can be a red flag. Use search engines and tools such as Google Image Search to check the authenticity of the profile.
Ask direct questions: Scammers often flinch under direct questioning.
Suggest video calls: Real individuals will be open to video communication.
Keep personal information confidential: Never give out personal or financial information.
Seek input from others: Discuss online relationships with friends or family.
Trust your instincts: If something doesn't seem right, it probably is.
In online romance scams, the scammer is rarely found, and the damage is almost never recovered. While in most cases there are few means of recovering funds that have been spent, intervention by family members can often stop the scam from progressing further. In cases where seniors refuse to admit they are victims of a scam, family members can file an emergency petition for temporary custody and ask a judge to order an immediate freeze on bank accounts.
