A ‘substantial number of older adults are burdened with fraud fears and these fears impact their lives’, an academic paper concludes.
Fear of fraud may represent a ‘hidden epidemic’ – a widespread yet largely unrecognised issue affecting many older adults, though the exact scale of the problem remains uncertain, according to an academic study. The 20-page paper is published in volume 38 of the academic Security Journal, and freely available.
The study by the University of Portsmouth, funded by a UK charity, found that 64 per cent of respondents faced at least one attempted fraud in the past six months, with one-third experiencing frequent attempts. One interviewee explained: “When refusing to divulge my details on the phone to someone wanting to ‘confirm’ my bank details, they become antagonistic and aggressive. This leaves me shaking and doubting myself – I just put the phone down. It is very upsetting being a victim of such bullying. I don’t want to think of myself as a victim just because I am elderly.”
Telephones were indeed the main channel used in these scams, accounting for over three-quarters of attempts, and nearly half of these involved landlines – a preferred method for targeting older adults, the study suggested.
Prof Mark Button, Director of the Centre for Cybercrime and Economic Crime in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Portsmouth, pictured, was the lead author of the paper. He said: “Older women who live alone are often far more anxious about fraud than other community groups. This fear can come from victimisation, fraud attempts from suspicious phone calls, and it can also be heightened by media coverage and awareness campaigns.
“Seeing a story on TV about someone their age losing their savings to a scam can have a real impact. For some, it leads to avoiding phone calls, even from loved ones, or staying offline altogether out of fear.”
The study urges more research into older adults – especially those who are disadvantaged – to understand how widespread the problem is and the key causes of fraud fear. While researchers highlight the need to raise awareness about fraud, they acknowledge this could increase anxiety and fear in vulnerable individuals.
Mark Button added: “What’s crucial is that those working with older adults often have good intentions – they aim to protect them from fraud. However, they may unintentionally create new issues by instilling excessive fear, which can be just as damaging.”
The study calls for more support for those at-risk, particularly those living alone or recent victims, through one-on-one assistance and practical fraud prevention guidance to strengthen their resilience and ease their fears.
More reading
The University of Portsmouth’s annual economic crime conference, with speakers from academia, public policy-makers and practitioners, is featured in the August edition of Professional Security Magazine.
