Police warn online scammers target elderly people
By Kim Lyell
August 30, 2011
Police say online and telephone scammers are targeting senior citizens because they are accessible and hold a large portion of Australia's wealth.
Officers say a two-day conference that begins in Brisbane today, 'Protecting Seniors from Modern Threats', will discuss the devastating impact of scamming on elderly people.
Police say financial crimes against seniors such as online and telephone scams costs the Australian economy millions of dollars each month.
They say Australians are still sending $10 million a month to the Nigerian and Guyana scams, with the majority of victims are elderly.
Fraud squad Detective Superintendent Brian Hay says the Australian-first conference will look at ways to protect seniors from modern threats.
"Catching the crook is not the best form of protection - it's actually providing our communities with the information they need to protect themselves," he said.
"All these crimes can be prevented.
"What we want to focus on is how we make Australia such an informed and aware community so the crooks will go somewhere else because it's too hard to find a victim in our country."
Superintendent Hay says the elderly are often too embarrassed to admit they have been ripped off.
"They're reluctant to come forward and even put their hand up to the fact that they've lost all this money, so they suffer in silence," he said.
"We see constant scenarios of breakdowns in relationships, families, long-life friends, being separated, bankruptcy, businesses being lost, depression, thoughts of suicide - it's a really sad story," he said.
SOURCE: ABC.NET.AU
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