Five million over 50s fear answering the phone due to scams risk
The risk of falling victim to a scam is isolating over 50s who are too nervous to answer the phone or open their doors, a new Age UK survey suggests.
The charity found that almost a fifth of over 50s, equivalent to 4.9 million people, are fearful of picking up the phone due to scams, while one in 10 – 2.8 million – are uneasy about opening their doors.
Fraud is easily the most common crime affecting people in England and Wales, accounting for 40% of crime, according to estimates by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
It affects people of all ages and backgrounds, but Age UK has warned that some older people can be 'prime targets' for fraudsters looking to exploit social isolation, limited digital literacy and cognitive impairments.
Read on to find out how to stay safe from scams.
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Four people over 50 scammed every minute
Age UK's survey suggests that for some older people the fear of being scammed is restricting their lives, preventing them from using smartphones (8%) or the internet (7%).
This can also increase withdrawal from society, by putting them off going outside (6%).
Separate analysis of ONS data suggests that, on average, four people over 50 are scammed every minute.
Age UK recently ran a 'Scams Prevention and Support Programme', providing one-to-one advice sessions to older people at risk of scams or who have been scammed.
Doorstep scams, postal scams and phone scams
Raising public awareness of all scams is vital, something Which? aims to achieve with our free scams alert newsletter and regular reporting of the latest scam threats.
Though fraudsters take aim at everyone, older people are more vulnerable to certain types of scam.
According to National Trading Standards, around nine in 10 victims of doorstep scams, such as a rogue trader or fake charity worker, are aged 65 and over. The average age of a postal scam victim is 75.
Phone scams also feature heavily in reports to Which? from older members of the public, often related to investment fraud or scammers impersonating banks, telecoms providers and tech support specialists.
Criminals may misuse 'number spoofing' technology so that they appear to be calling from genuine phone numbers, or trick victims into downloading screen-sharing tools to hijack their computers over the internet.
- Find out more: how to get your money back if you've been scammed
Five steps to swerve scams
Age UK shared the following top five tips to help you avoid being scammed:
- Stop – never do anything you don’t want to or make any decisions on the spot.
- Check– always check their credentials.
- Ask – always ask someone you trust for a second opinion.
- Mine– do not give away personal information.
- Share – share your experience with others to lower their risk of being scammed.
