Biblical scriptures states in 1 Peter 5:8 "Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." Criminals are exactly the same. Some would justly argue they are his pawns. None the less, the criminal mind looks opportunities to strike at the innocent, the defenseless, the weak, and the unprepared. At one end of the spectrum we have children who can become victims of child predators; at the other end of the spectrum we have the elderly who can be ripe targets for the criminal mind. So often society discards the elderly, but they are really social treasures. They are someone's parents, or grandparents. People who have lived and have lots of advice, to those traveling the road of life. To the criminal mind they are just an opportunity.
A few years ago a woman came to my eighty year old grandmother's house asking to use the phone to call a cab. My grandmother knew the woman stayed in the neighborhood, and let her in. After her supposed phone call she then asked to use my grandmother's bathroom. The lady then attempted to rob my grandmother. She demanded money, and asked my grandmother to get it. My grandmother suffered for arthritis and could not easily move. She grabbed her walking stick to stand up, and when she did, let the robber have it across the head, several times. It was this poor crooks worst day. Needless the injuries to the lady made it easy for the police to identify her and arrest her.
A few years ago, it was reported that 70-year-old Ellen Basinski refused to be intimidated by a man and three boys who forced their way into her house and demanded money. Ellen meted out a little domestic justice of her own when she fought off them with her favorite saucepan.
In that same year, the elderly father of someone at my church had his home burglarized while he was at a medical center undergoing dialysis. I can only imagine his feeling of being violated.
Also in that year, an elderly Charleston woman named Evans was conned out of $500 by what she thought was Alarm salesman. Evans, 86, said, "he was a good talker and he sold his product well and I fell for it." video link A day after she wrote him a check, it had been cashed. "I've always worked hard to whatever I've got and had and I think everybody else should do the same thing if they want money, they should earn it," Evans said.
Agencies like the FBI have identified a list of reason why certain criminals target the elderly, they are as follows:
- Older American citizens are most likely to have a "nest egg," own their home and/or have excellent credit any of which the con-man will try to gain access to.
- Individuals who grew up in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s were generally raised to be polite and trusting.
- Older Americans are less likely to report a fraud because they don't know who to report it to, are too ashamed at having been scammed, or do not know they have been scammed, or they are frightened.
- When an elderly victim does report the crime, they often make poor witnesses. The con-man knows the effects of age on memory and he/she is counting on the fact that the elderly victim will not be able to supply enough detailed information to investigators.
- Lastly, when it comes to products that promise increased cognitive function, virility, physical conditioning, anti-cancer properties, and security and so on, older Americans make up the segment of the population most concerned about these issues. In a country where new cures and vaccinations for old diseases have given every American hope for a long and fruitful life, it is not so unbelievable that the products offered by these con-men can do what they say they can do.
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