NCJ Number
92657
Date Published
1983
Length
71 pages
Annotation
A hearing on frauds committed against the elderly and methods of dealing with them included testimony from five representatives of the Federal Trade Commission, the Assistant Chief Postal Inspector, representatives of consumer protection organizations, and a law enforcement official.
Abstract
A survey by the Senate Committee on Aging in 1981 revealed that consumer frauds against the elderly are widespread and touch every aspect of the older consumer's life. The elderly are considered prime targets for frauds, whose perpetrators are well-organized, sophisticated, and effective. The 10 most harmful frauds against the elderly are quackery and medical frauds, home repair and improvement frauds, bunco schemes, insurance frauds, social frauds, housing and land frauds, business opportunity and investment frauds, nursing home frauds, automobile frauds, and funeral frauds. Despite the increase in the level of fraud, resources available to combat the problem are declining due to cutbacks at both the Federal and State levels. Speakers described types of fraud and efforts to deal with it through consumer education, law enforcement, and other approaches.