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While there are many factors that contribute to seniors’
being taken by these scams (and being the most frequently targeted demographic
as a result), including the fact that they tend to be home to receive
telemarketing calls and they are often afraid to appear impolite by hanging up,
there may also be a psychological effect of the aging of the brain that also
contributes to the problem.
According to recent research funded by the National Institute on Aging by Dr.
Stacey Wood, a neuropsychologist and assistant professor at Scripps College in
Claremont, California, there is evidence that older adults process negative
information differently than their younger counterparts. In a recent experiment
with collaborator Dr. Mike Kisley, both older and younger adults were shown a
series of negative images (such as dead animals) or positive images (such as
bowls of ice cream), and the degree to which brain activity increased was
recorded. Simply put, older adults are more likely to be less responsive to
negative or unpleasant information, making them happier people – but also making
them more likely to miss the “red flags” of a skilled fraudulent telemarketer.
Wood says, “As a group, older adults are less likely to be depressed and less
affected by negative or unpleasant information. On the whole, while that is
great news and perhaps something to look forward to, our research suggests that
these changes in mood also have the potential to impact decision-making,
sometimes with damaging results.”
Wood suggests that older adults be wary of the following:
· Solicitations that are presented with an impending deadline. When
time-pressure increases, people tend to become less analytical and more
impulsive.
· Solicitations under the guise of political or religious organizations.
When emotions are involved, impulsiveness increases.
· Solicitations that arrive at “non-optimal” times of day - that is,
times when older adults will likely be processing in less detail. Con artists
tend to target people in the afternoon and evening.
· Solicitations that are accompanied by fine print or lots of details.
Older adults often fail to read fine print and process other seemingly minute
details.
Wood and Kisley’s research also involved the effects of gambling losses on
younger and older adults. Wood says, “Younger adults learn very early to stay
clear of the decks with high losses. Older adults are able to tolerate the
losses and are more willing to risk future draws in hopes of a high payout.
Indeed, older adults tend to do as well as younger adults by the end of the
game. But when playing a "rigged" game, they may not be so fortunate.”
About The Author
Dr. Wood is an expert on a number of issues related to aging and the brain,
including dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, decision-making, and maintaining
autonomy. She has published extensively in peer-reviewed medical and
psychological journals. Her work on decision-making is currently funded by a
grant from the National Institute on Aging (R15 A021442-01). She holds a Ph.D.
in clinical neuropsychology from the University of Houston.
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Beware Of Elder Fraud - Exploiting the Senior Population
