Scamming Elders is Big Business
by Dennison Keller
When I used to work as a television journalist, the stories that got under my skin like no others were the ones that involved someone taking advantage of a senior citizen. I covered “pigeon drop schemes”, social media imposters, fake house repair contractors – you name it. As I did my interviews and research for the TV segments, the same thought always ran through my mind about the victims. “These are good people who have spent a lifetime raising children, working careers, making friends, and babysitting grandkids. They’ve earned the right to enjoy the good life. And this is how they are repaid for a life well lived?!!!!” That anger is one of the reasons I chose to pursue elder law.
Skip forward a couple of decades; sadly, the problem has only worsened. According to the FBI, almost 5,400 Ohioans over age 60 lost more than $95,000,000 to various scams just in 2024. Nationally, the number of complaints has increased by 43% over the past year.
Law enforcement is trying its best to combat the epidemic. Ohio’s Attorney General’s Office has an Elder Justice Unit. Kentucky has the Office of Senior Protection. The FBI consistently highlights World Elder Abuse Awareness Month, which falls in June. Almost every state threatens enhanced penalties for crimes against the elderly. Even the media tries to help. Earlier this month, 700 WLW-AM host Scott Sloan invited me on his radio show to talk about the issue.
The problem is that technology has become so good that it is increasingly easy to bamboozle anyone, let alone vulnerable seniors. Yet for so many scams, the common denominator required for success is a cooperative elder – even if that cooperation is garnered through lies, deceit, or confusion. From a click of a mouse that allows ransomware into a computer to a Lothario who demands proof of love by sending him money, the schemes need the participation of the senior citizen.
Therefore, perhaps this month screams out the best defense against falling prey—AWARENESS. Numerous terrific law enforcement websites explain the myriad scams that are circulating. I’ve included a link to two of them below. Learn these schemes for yourself, or if you care for an older adult, sit down with them and show them the threats they face. Don’t just tell them. Show them so they know the information is not just coming from you.
And that brings me back to my days as a TV news anchor. The golden rule in journalism is to check your sources! You do not break a story unless you get the information from at least two sources. The same can be said for scams where the investment returns are too high, the romance talk is too dreamy, and the email links are too easy. Dig down, demand more information, and run it by a trusted family member first.
Who knows—taking that extra time might someday prevent you from having a guy like me show up at your door asking, “Do you want to go on TV and tell me about that scam that got you?!?”
