NCJ Number
164400
Date Published
1996
Length
81 pages
Annotation
This 1995 survey, sponsored by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) and based on interviews with 745 telemarketing fraud victims who were 50 years of age and older, found that older victims were more frequently victimized by telemarketing fraud than younger people.
Abstract
All older victims were identified as participants in at least one fraudulent telemarketing scheme. They had extensive networks of family and friends, were still in the workforce, and participated in a wide range of social activities. Older individuals who had a recent trauma in their lives were more susceptible to telemarketing fraud, and 71 percent of telemarketing fraud victims were AARP members. Older victims were very attentive to news and consumer information, and almost all had heard or read about companies that took advantage of people by selling them worthless products and services or by tricking them in to giving money for nothing. In addition, older victims were more affluent and more educated than older people in the general population. Almost half the victims had received a telemarketing solicitation within the week preceding the interview. Two-thirds said they tried to get off the telephone as quickly as possible, and one-third said they rarely read the "junk mail" they received. Some older victims claimed to be quite skeptical of telemarketers, but those who sent money to sweepstakes offerings did so to receive a trip or product they wanted or to have a chance of winning more money. Most sweepstakes victims indicated they made the decision to participate because they felt the money spent was worth it for what they would be getting. Older victims said it was hard to spot telemarketing fraud when it was happening, and all respondents were victimized by dishonest telemarketers at some point. The difficulty victims had in recognizing deceptive practices was exacerbated by their susceptibility to pressure and by their reluctance to seek advice from others about financial matters. The survey served to characterize different types of older telemarketing fraud victims and demonstrated that older victims need clear and concise rules about how to recognize an illegitimate telemarketing pitch. An appendix contains the methodology, the questionnaire, and the advance letter used in the survey. 14 tables