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Older adults and “scams”: evidence from the Mass Observation Archive
- Authors:
- BAILEY Jan, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Adult Protection, 23(1), 2021, pp.57-69.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Purpose: The issue of financial abuse is highlighted in the Care Act (2014). One category of financial abuse is consumer fraud or “scams.” Evidence suggests that scams are becoming increasingly ubiquitous, yet how scams impact older adults remains under-researched. The purpose of this paper is to report data from 80 older adults’ written responses to a Mass Observation Archive Directive, commissioned in autumn 2015, which focused on scams. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative approach was used with data captured via written responses to a set of questions. There was no limit on the length of written accounts, and respondents remained anonymous. Data were analysed thematically, resulting in four key themes. Findings: The data indicated scams impact individuals in terms of health and well-being, irrespective of whether they have experienced financial loss, and trigger implementation of strategies intended to avoid being defrauded. There was also evidence of scam-related stigma with individuals who are defrauded being subject to derision and censure. Social implications: Individuals who have been victimised by fraudsters may need access to practical and emotional support. This requires the design of appropriate interventions and the stigma associated with being scammed to be addressed. Originality/value: This paper adopts an original approach to collecting rich, candid data about an under-researched topic. The authors highlight that anti-scam interventions should equip individuals to identify and avoid scams without inciting fear or anxiety; proposing this may be facilitated by drawing on health and safety risk assessment protocol when designing anti-scam interventions. (Edited publisher abstract)
Financial abuse of older people in Northern Ireland: the unsettling truth
- Author:
- COMMISSIONER FOR OLDER PEOPLE FOR NORTHERN IRELAND
- Publisher:
- Commissioner for Older People for Northern Ireland
- Publication year:
- 2016
- Pagination:
- 24
- Place of publication:
- Belfast
This study provides evidence of the scope and scale of the financial abuse of older people in Northern Ireland. The study interviewed 1,025 people older people (aged 60 and over) across Northern Ireland were surveyed in relation to financial abuse. They were asked 29 questions in relation to their personal finances, money-management and decision-making in the last 12 months. The results found that that 21 per cent of older people surveyed had experienced some kind of financial abuse. The most prevalent forms of financial abuse identified were issues relating to money and possessions (7 per cent of respondents); buying and selling goods (6 per cent of respondents); and issues relating to charity contributions (4 per cent of respondents). Other types of financial abuse identified included: coercion to sign and fraudulent use of signatures; changes to legal and financial documents and investments; experience of coercion; bank account activity; deception and misuse of money; and issues relating to inheritance and power of attorney. Based on the result of the survey sample, which was representative of Northern Ireland’s older population, the findings suggest that over 75,000 older people are experiencing some form of financial abuse in Northern Ireland. (Edited publisher abstract)
Exploring the boundaries between interpersonal and financial institution mistreatment of older people through a social ecology framework
- Authors:
- NAUGHTON Corina, DRENNAN Jonathan
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 36(4), 2016, pp.694-715.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
This analysis was based on a survey of community-dwelling older people (N = 2,021) aged 65 years and older, and examined self-reports of interpersonal and financial institution mistreatment. The prevalence of interpersonal financial abuse was reported by nearly 2 per cent of respondents compared to 1 per cent for financial institution mistreatment. The socio-demographic and health characteristics of the group who experienced interpersonal financial mistreatment were different from those who reported financial institution mistreatment. The boundaries between the two phenomena were explored using a social ecology framework that reflects the influences of ageism and normative practices on elder abuse. The study confirms previous international evidence on interpersonal financial abuse and provides preliminary data on financial mistreatment by financial institutions. The evidence has implications for policy and current preventative strategies that tend to ignore the influence of macro-contextual factors such as legislative and institutional normative practices, government policies and societal attitudes that can act as permissors of some types of financial mistreatment. (Edited publisher abstract)
Correlates of susceptibility to scams in older adults without dementia
- Authors:
- JAMES Bryan D., BOYLE Patricia A., BENNETT David A.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect, 26(2), 2014, pp.107-122.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
This study examined correlates of susceptibility to scams in 639 community-dwelling older adults without dementia from a cohort study of ageing in the Chicago district. Regression models adjusted for age, sex, education, and income were used to examine associations between susceptibility to scams, measured by a five-item self-report measure, and a number of potential correlates. Susceptibility was positively associated with age and negatively associated with income, cognition, psychological well-being, social support, and literacy. Fully adjusted models indicated that older age and lower levels of cognitive function, decreased psychological well-being, and lower literacy in particular may be markers of susceptibility to financial victimization in old age. (Publisher abstract)
Self-report measure of financial exploitation of older adults
- Authors:
- CONRAD Kendon J., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 50(6), December 2010, pp.758-773.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
This study was designed to improve the measurement of financial exploitation by testing psychometric properties of the older adult financial exploitation measure (OAFEM), a client self-report instrument. Rasch item response theory and traditional validation approaches were used. Questionnaires were administered by 22 adult protective services investigators from 7 agencies in Illinois to 227 substantiated abuse clients. Analyses included tests for dimensionality, model fit, and additional construct validation. Results from the OAFEM were also compared with the substantiation decision of abuse and with investigators’ assessments of financial exploitation using a staff report version. Hypotheses were generated to test hypothesised relationships. The results demonstrated that the OAFEM, including the original 79-, 54-, and 30-item measures, met stringent Rasch analysis fit and unidimensionality criteria and had high internal consistency and item reliability. The validation results were supportive, while leading to reconsideration of aspects of the hypothesised theoretical hierarchy. Thresholds were suggested to demonstrate levels of severity. The article concludes that the measure should help in the assessment of financial exploitation of older adults by both clinicians and researchers.
Consumer fraud and the elderly: a review of Canadian challenges and initiatives
- Author:
- COHEN Carole A.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 46(3/4), 2006, pp.137-144.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Financial abuse is the most common type of elder abuse. Consumer fraud, a form of financial abuse perpetrated by criminals who do not know the victim, is not well studied. Seniors represent a disproportionate percentage of the victims of consumer fraud. This article reviews the data on the prevalence of consumer fraud (primarily telemarketing scams) in Canada. It examines the reasons why Canadian seniors are targets of fraud. It also describes many unique initiatives developed at the local, provincial and national level in Canada to educate seniors and those who care for them about the types of scams and the risks of fraud. (Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre, Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580).
Access to assets: older people with impaired capacity and financial abuse
- Authors:
- McCAWLEY Anne-Louise, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Adult Protection, 8(1), May 2006, pp.20-32.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
This article draws upon findings from a secondary analysis of suspected financial abuse cases in files of the Guardianship and Administration Tribunal in Queensland, Australia. The article explores the association between formal and semi-formal asset management arrangements and suspected financial abuse cases. The role of families as formal asset managers is also considered.
Combating elder financial abuse: a multi-disciplinary approach to a growth problem
- Authors:
- MALKS Betty, BUCKMASTER Jamie, CUNINGHAM Laura
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect, 15(3/4), 2003, pp.55-69.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
While the number of violent crimes in the United States is decreasing, financial crimes against the elderly are increasing due to the aging of the overall population and greater concentration of wealth among older people. The United States, along with the rest of the world, is experiencing dramatic growth of its senior populace; and financial abuse of the elderly is also dramatically rising. Santa Clara County, California's response to this problem via their model programme emphasizing a multi-disciplinary approach to combating financial abuse is discussed. (Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre, Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580)
Introducing a framework for defining financial abuse of the elderly
- Authors:
- WILBER Kathleen H., REYNOLDS Sandra L.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect, 8(2), 1996, pp.61-80.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Although an extensive body of literature has developed over the last decade that focuses on elder abuse, little has been written specifically on financial abuse. Financial abuse of older persons remains difficult to detect and prosecute, in part, because it is poorly understood and ill-defined. The purpose of this article is to begin the task of specifically identifying older persons who have been subjected to financial abuse. To do this, we offer a framework for identifying abuse that includes: (1) characteristics of the older person that suggest vulnerability to abuse, (2) the nature of the relationship between the suspected wrongdoer and the older person.
Family values
- Author:
- MARCHANT Catriona
- Journal article citation:
- Community Care, 13.5.93, 1993, pp.18-19.
- Publisher:
- Reed Business Information
One aspect of elder abuse that is difficult to identify is financial abuse - the most common form being misuse of an elderly person's pension. The Court of Protection exists to protect the financial affairs of elderly people who have a mental disorder, but numbers registered are very low, and many professionals believe that this is a bureaucratic, expensive and time-consuming way of managing money.