Research identifies the “hidden trends” of fraud anxiety among adults living alone

A new study from the University of Portsmouth found that a considerable number of seniors in the UK were affected by fear of fraud, especially those who live alone or were previously victims of crime.

The paper, published in the Security Journal, is based on insights from 2,000 participants. Women primarily experience some degree of loneliness as part of a project aimed at enhancing fraud and fraud resilience.

The survey was funded by UK charities and found that 64% of respondents have faced at least one scam in the past six months, with a third experiencing frequent attacks.

The findings also revealed that phones are the main channels used in these scams, accounting for more than three-quarters of attempts, with almost half of these being landline phones. This is the preferred method for targeting older people. Other methods included contacts via text messages or cell phones.

The study also found that fear and anxiety about fraud is a major concern for many respondents. The study highlighted the severity of this issue, as many older adults were so worried that many older people would not be able to participate in the survey because the topic itself was too upset for them.

One respondent clearly realized how common scams are and said, “I’m in the 90s, I’m living on my own and sometimes I get very lonely. I’m worried about scams and being taken away, but I know those issues.”

Another participant stressed his concern: “As someone with loss of vision, I feel vulnerable to all sorts of fraud, but I don’t call myself an over-extended.

The study found that fear of fraud could represent a “hidden trend.” This is a broad but little perceived problem affecting many older adults, but the exact size of the problem remains uncertain.

One interviewee said, “When they refuse to leak my details over the phone to someone who wants to ‘confirm’ their bank details, they become hostile and aggressive.

“Elder women living alone are often far more worried about fraud than other community groups,” said Professor Mark Button, director of the Civil Crime and Economic Crime Center for the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Portsmouth.

“Watching stories on television about people who lost their age who lost their savings in scams can have a real impact. For some, it can lead to avoiding calls from their loved ones as well, or taking them completely offline out of fear.”

Future this study encourages more research into older people, especially disadvantaged people, to understand how widespread the problem is and the key causes of the fear of fraud. Researchers emphasize the need to raise awareness about fraud, but they acknowledge that this can increase anxiety and fear in vulnerable individuals.

“The key is that people who work with older people often have good intentions. They aim to protect them from fraud,” Professor Button added. “However, they may create new problems by instilling excessive fear unintentionally.

The study calls for increased support for at-risk individuals, particularly at-risk individuals, particularly recent victims, through first-person support and practical fraud prevention guidance.

The findings highlight the urgent need for greater awareness, but emphasize that all measures need to be tested and evaluated to ensure that they are effective and not create unnecessary stress or worries.

This is based on previous research led by Professor Button, who examined the UK’s elderly, especially those over the age of 75, face an unprecedented surge in attempts at telephone fraud.