Vulnerability of Older Adults to Government Impersonation Scams.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

Financial fraud and scams targeting older adults are on the rise and pose serious public health and economic threats. Research on the vulnerability of older adults to fraud and scams relies almost exclusively on self-reported data, which have several intrinsic limitations. Thus, how older adults truly respond to fraud attempts remains unclear.

Objective

To explore the vulnerability of older adults to a US government impersonation scam.

Design, setting, and participants

This cross-sectional study, conducted from October to December 2021 among communities in the greater Chicago metropolitan area, was framed as a fictitious government agency reaching out to older adults about a potential compromise of personal information relevant to their Social Security and

SUBMITTER: Yu L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10517371 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature