The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) carefully tracks reported financial crimes targeting seniors, using this information to educate the public on the vulnerabilities older Americans face in their daily lives. IC3’s recent 2020 Elder Fraud Report, for example, provides an extensive analysis of the types of fraud and scam situations seniors face, including definitions of tactics used by swindlers and the defenses seniors can use to protect themselves. All-in-all, a very informative and important document!
The IC3 Elder Fraud Report also points out a frightening trend…crime complaints reported by victims over age 60 are rising at an alarming rate. For example, the number of complaints reported by this demographic has roughly doubled since 2015. More alarmingly, the financial consequences of these fraud situations have more than tripled in the same period, now representing a loss to seniors of nearly $1 billion annually! But what’s really distressing is that of all the fraud crimes reported by the public, more than 20% target Americans over age 60.
In keeping with our mission of supporting and educating America’s seniors, our Foundation keeps a watchful eye on the Elder Fraud situation with seminars and blog posts designed to promote public awareness of this very real and growing problem. On Wednesday, August 18 we will present a two-hour seminar focused on the Elder Fraud topic, with speakers from law enforcement, the financial community, and state government on hand to discuss ways to prevent falling victim to fraud, how to secure yourself financially from fraudulent activity, and what to do if you are a victim of fraud.
The seminar will be held at the Lady Lake Library, 225 West Guava Street in Lady Lake, beginning at 10:00 am. The presentations will be live-streamed via the AMAC network for remote access and recorded for later on-demand viewing. Light refreshments will be served.
You won’t want to miss this one! To reserve your seat at this event, contact the Foundation office at 888-750-2622 or email us at [email protected].