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Charlotte Talks: Aging America Faces Rise Of Elder Fraud

Flickr / Garry Knight

Tuesday, April 2, 2019

It's estimated that on a daily basis 10,000 Americans reach retirement age. That means 10,000 new potential victims for scammers targeting senior citizens. Law enforcement has promised to crack down on elder fraud, and Mike Collins examines the signs of fraud and who's perpetrating it.

The largest-ever crackdown on elder fraud in America was announced in March. More than 200 people were charged with swindling two million people, mostly seniors, out of more than $750 million.

The number of victims discovered in the March operation was double the number from a similar effort last year. In North Carolina, scams targeting the elderly were the top consumer complaint in 2018.

The scams come in different ways, from old-fashioned telemarketing to the growing method of gaining access to victims' computers.

But in addition to scammers, there's also financial abuse carried about by people close to the victims, such as relatives or a caregiver.

What are the ways these scams are being perpetrated? What are the signs it's happening?

GUESTS

Andrew Murray, U.S. Attorney, Western District of North Carolina

Brian Cyprian, FBI Charlotte Field Office, Supervisory Special Agent

Lara Cole, AARP, Associate State Director, Charlotte region

LINK MENTIONED ON SHOW

To file a complaint of an online scam or fraud to the FBI, click here.

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