NCJ Number
198879
Date Published
2000
Length
0 pages
Annotation
This videotape discusses the ways that seniors fall victim to telemarketing and home improvement scams.
Abstract
Teaching law enforcement officials that victims of telemarketing and home improvement scams are not simply greedy, gullible, stupid individuals who deserve to be taken advantage of, this videotape comprises three parts designed to train law enforcement officials about seniors and telemarketing fraud. Through a series of interviews with seniors who have fallen victim to telemarketing and home improvements scams, the audience of this videotape is taught that the United States loses $40 billion annually to fraudulent telemarketers. After arguing that a large percentage of telemarketing and home improvement scams are estimated to go unreported because of victims’ embarrassment at being taken advantage of, this videotape discusses seniors as the most likely victims of con artists. The narrators of this videotape argue that fraudsters play on the vulnerability of senior citizens because such individuals are typically extremely polite and were brought up in an era when someone’s word meant something that he or she said was trustworthy. Throughout this videotape, seniors discuss the persuasive, manipulative individuals who conned them into believing that they were honest, polite, trustworthy, God-fearing individuals with amazing opportunities in store for certain select individuals. This videotape indicates that in addition to being swindled out of money, seniors who fall prey to con artists often feel psychologically destroyed because they become disappointed in both humanity and in themselves for being swindled. After describing some of the techniques that fraudsters use to con seniors out of money, such as claiming that the senior has won a wonderful vacation or prize and need only give their credit card number for insurance purposes, this videotape emphasizes that police officers need to be sensitive to seniors’ complaints of fraudulent activities because it is possible that serious crimes and scandals may be being perpetrated within their communities. After describing the techniques used by criminals swindling seniors out of money for poorly completed home improvements, this videotape discusses a series of partnership programs between seniors and police officers that better enable fraudulent telemarketers to be caught and potential victims to be warned.