Scientists Discovered Why It's So Easy To Scam Old People

[FarCenter]

Forget being lonely or too patriotic—the real reason it's so easy to scam old people is that they become more gullible with age.

That's according to researchers at the University of Iowa, who studied a part of our brains that controls belief and doubt called the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (via ScienceDaily).

The softball-sized area sits in our heads above the eyes and deteriorates rapidly with age, making it harder to spot a scam, even it's an obvious one.


Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/why-its-so-easy-to-scam-old-people-2012-8

[H2O Man]

1. Although I never

used to believe this, I do now.

[eppur_se_muova]

23. !

[Voice for Peace]

31. ahahaha hahahaa ahhahaa

you've been testing out this research on DU, too.. now I get it.

[H2O Man]

42. I am, by far,

the oldest member of the DU community.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

2. So, should we make it a crime against the elderly for them to be subjected to Republicans spin?

Oh, and hate radio. Definitely hate radio should be considered a crime against the elderly.

[flamingdem]

4. The Fox effect is what they need to examine!

my parental units are perfectly suspicious of scams .. moreso as they age.

The implication here is ageist.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

16. My mom sharp as a tack, too.

More so now than she was when I was a kid, actually.

However, since there is specific legislation protecting the elderly from scammers, I'm not sure it's ageist to say some are more susceptible. Financial crimes against the elderly are a very real, and growing problem.

In my personal experience it's a bit like dementia. Some elderly are not effected, while others are.

The only reason I mentioned the spin and hate radio, is because I know person who recently had to take over her mother's financial accounts. Her mother was donating money she couldn't afford, time and time again, to specific politicians. She told me her mother was influenced by the radio programs she listens to everyday. Her mother believed the world as we know it was about to end if things weren't changed in this election. Which in all fairness doesn't even mean it was hate radio, it could have been commercials for all I know. I made that assumption, and I honestly don't have any grounds to have done so.

[flamingdem]

26. This is a very real issue if seniors are easily convinced by hate radio and Fox

to donate, especially if those asking understand senior vulnerabilities.

The study could be useful if more research was conducted in that area.

[Rambis]

3. Father has blown through thousands

fake ministries, scam vets groups and bloody publishers clearinghouse ought to be sued!

[hollysmom]

5. not me, man

I am going to die a cynical old bitch.

[Cleita]

13. I'm already there at seventy-two.

I'm far more cynical than I was at twenty.

[AngryOldDem]

22. Same here.

I don't think my general attitudes are going to soften with age. My bullshit detector is pretty much age-proof.

I can't imagine being so gullible as to fall for some of the stuff that some seniors fall for -- like going to the bank and withdrawing one's life savings because two guys in suits show up at their door and tell them to do so.

[RebelOne]

29. Same here also.

I am 73 and I think we become wiser the older we get.

If I was as gullible as those scientists say we are, I would be losing thousands to all those Nigerian e-mails I get.

[hollysmom]

32. oh, so true

I play games (sorry) and one of my fellow gamers got a PM from a man who's father was dying in Nigeria - and she felt she had to help him to be a good Christian - it took me hours to talk her out of it, if she was not just pulling my leg, and I don't think she was. They are out there, they are just not me.

I will admit finally allowing some workmen to take advantage of me, just to get some work done. Like paying about 500 too much to get my stairs repaired after I negotiated a good amount and the workmen never showed, probably got more money. These guys showed up the next day did an excellent job and got paid real quick,just happy to have it done! I am cutting back on my negotiating for lower amounts.

[uponit7771]

38. +1

[nc4bo]

6. Lots of scammers/spammers go after the elderly for just that reason.

Phone, emails, those "odd" mailings that come in via USPS asking for bank account #'s, checking account #'s, credit card #'s, social security numbers, shady businesses offering warranties or extended warranties - love older folks.

I always keep a close eye on my mom or anyone wanting info from my mother just for that reason.

Republicans also know this as does Fox News.

[cali]

7. That's clearly not true of all old people

Good luck trying to scam my battle axe 93 year old grand dame mother.

[jberryhill]

8. NO observation of likelihood is true of all X

Does this even need to be pointed out?

People don't wear seatbelts and survive auto accidents.

People have unprotected sex, and don't get STD's.

People smoke cigarettes into their 90's and don't get lung disease.

The fact of the matter is that there are scammers who make it their business to target older people. Do they successfully scam every old person they encounter? No. But there is a reason why they prefer older people, and it is because their hit rate is higher across the population.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

9. "Oh, it's not a scam."

"What you do is, see, you give them all your credit card numbers, and if one of them is lucky, you win a prize!"

[unblock]

10. republicans have known this for years....

[Ichingcarpenter]

11. Science studies are a scam.... just trust in your church and god.

all others pay cash.

Now get off my lawn I have to answer this Nigerian e-mail and my republican newsletter.

[Ikonoklast]

12. I always thought old people who are easy to scam were also easy to scam when they were younger, too.

My Grandma used to say "Old fools were usually born fools".

[Egalitarian Thug]

14. That's been my experience. Limited intellect doesn't magically disappear with the passage of time.

It can be overcome, but it's hard and most people don't do hard voluntarily.

[Ikonoklast]

17. Even dimbulbs get suspicious after getting scammed a few times.

Hard to learn that way, but, still better than never learning at all, I suppose.

[nc4bo]

30. "limited intellect"? Really?

It doesn't all have to be due to "limited intellect". Some people are naturally more trusting than others. They could be the fortunate ones who've never had a bad experience with a conman or rip-off artist.

[Egalitarian Thug]

36. More likely those fortunate ones just never realized it when they were conned. Like buying a new car

the dealership makes all that money by convincing the gullible that they got a deal. Everybody that bought a new car that isn't related or a good friend of the owner, or who works for the manufacturer, paid more than they had to. But ask any of them and they will tell you what a great deal they got and then go into how they brilliantly forced the sales manager to surrender the car at below cost (and left them crying in the showroom).

Yeah, these guys make millions doing this all day every day year after year, but your negotiating skills were such that they just crumbled.

[nc4bo]

37. So, so true.

Good friend of ours sold used cars for a living and invited dh to go with him the the auction one day and shock and awe doesn't do it justice. So I know what you mean, biggest rip off ever, if you're not a dealer or buds with them.

[valerief]

18. Bingo! nt

[valerief]

15. My aged skeptometer doubts the verity of this research. nt

[trackfan]

19. Does that mean in a few years I'm going to actually open mail

that comes in an envelope saying "OPEN IMMEDIATELY: IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS ENCLOSED"?

Did you ever notice that junk ads and scams always come in an envelope like that - often with a logo that makes it look vaguely like it's a government document - an eagle or something, usually; but when you get a check, it comes in a junky looking envelope that you might just throw out because it looks so unimportant.

[graywarrior]

20. That's funny, coz all the seniors where I live ran Verizon off the property

because their sales people were quoting different prices to everyone.

[Ikonoklast]

21. Those were Mormon missionaries they ran off.

Easy to confuse the two.

[graywarrior]

24. Hahahahaha!

[AnotherMcIntosh]

25. "You can fool some of the people all of the time and those are the ones you want to concentrate on"

[flamingdem]

27. ha! n/t

[Nuclear Unicorn]

28. I don't believe this study for a second

But then again I'm only 24.

[HiPointDem]

33. i doubt it.

[aquart]

34. Then why do scammers make so damn sure...........

That they know when the old soul is going to be in Florida or in the hospital? Because they want to make sure the mail showing, say, the stock churning, is going to the address where the victim isn't.

[Trillo]

35. Interesting to contrast this with another story from 6 years ago

Life's Harsh Lessons 'Make You More Gullible

Could a synthesis of these two explain so many of our "civilizations" problems?

[CTyankee]

39. If anything, as I age I am getting MORE cautious!

I procrastinate on making some decisions I should have made more quickly because of my caution. I am less likely to take a chance on something that sounds good. I fear the odd quirks of fate more than I do actually being scammed.

It takes a LOT to convince me to do something new or different, because I fear everything that "could go wrong"...

[lumpy]

40. Now they should try to discover why teenagers can be so easily scammed.

Or for that matter over 20/30/50 year olds.
Love these scientific investigations.

[Avalux]

41. Hmmm....my 92 year old great uncle is still really sharp and isn't fooled by anyone.

He must have been really bad when he was young!!