Immobility

I would like to talk about scams on the elderly.  I am a board certified elder law attorney and am supposed to know something about the elderly and their problems.  However, the susceptibility of the elderly to scams is something that greatly puzzles me and I do not have an answer for it.  I just cannot understand the mechanism which makes smart people (who would never fall for a scam when they were younger) fall for the same scam when they are older.  I remember a case last year in which the son of an elderly woman brought in 3 grocery bags full of scam mail his mother was answering.  She had probably wasted about $20,000 on lotteries, sweepstakes, and con mail.

Right now on my desk are three files representing clients I have dealt with for a long period of time.  I will call them Clients A, B and C.   A was an executive of a company and had to be financially sophisticated to hold that job.  He came to me a month ago with a letter saying he had won $1,000,000 but needed to send in a processing and handling fee to secure his winnings.  He wanted me to authenticate his winnings.  When I told him it was a scam, he seemed disappointed but said he valued my opinion.  In his younger years, he would have thrown the letter in the waste basket.  In his older years, he took it to his attorney hoping it was something.  Why did age make him more vulnerable?

Client B was not an executive type but a blue collar worker.  He was always very handy with everything around the house.  He saved a lot of money by doing many things for himself.  He once showed me a lake cottage he had built himself.  I know he has saved several hundred thousand dollars - some of which I think is now at risk.  His son says he has been answering scam mail and sending checks to various people to secure his winnings.  He brought me an official looking letter saying he was very close to winning a large jackpot.  I told him it was a scam but I don't think he believed me.  The con is always the same.  Tell someone they have won something and ask for some money back to secure it.

Client C, an elderly lonely gentleman, is about to be taken advantage of by a woman, who promises him companionship.  In return, he will make her financially comfortable.  He came to me for some legal documents regarding the new relationship.  After I figured out what was going on, I respectfully declined to do the work.  I said I just did not want to see him get involved and would not aid him.  Again, I asked myself why his judgment had changed.  Was it just being lonely or was the same thing at work that makes the elderly so vulnerable to sweepstakes?

I don't know but I sure have a ring side seat in watching it happen.