I do not think this is anything that is new. These scams on seniors have been around for a long time, they are probably no easier online because many of the target for these are not online and the few that might be I am sure need to be warned.

To true our elder citezens are ripe for scammers, be a good neighbour and visit th eelderly in your area and let them know that if people come knocking or they get odd phonecalls to contact you prior to them taking any action

Older people (over 60's) grew up in a time when respect for other people was a lot higher and thats why they are more susceptable to scammers, they need help to be protected from scammers and con men!

Yes, visiting them would be something that is really good. I have a friend who teaches computer classes to elderly people. When they are interested in email she specifically covers things they might receive in email that would be classified as a scamA confidence game or other fraudulent scheme, especially for making a quick profit; and how to avoid getting caught up in those.

I don't think it has anything to do with respect. I thing it has more to do with the fact that it's so much easier for scammers to reach them. They are just more accessible now than before, that's all.

Yes it is right,Older people should take knowledge to aware of scammers.Because may be they do not know more about scam and all.So we should not hesitate to give them knowledge.

I think it's not just so much that older people are more generous. They usually are, but they are also more trusting and, in some cases, revert to the naivete of their much-younger pre-teen years.

The elderly are also coping with the sometimes harsh financial realities of retirement, particularly if they didn't make sound pre-retirement plans and find themselves on a really tight and fixed income.

I have seen the commercials on TV for the reverse mortgages and I notice that there are more and more now especially with "celebrities" and clips of old people saying "My life is so much better now" and I began to think this sounds like scams to me. The other day I went by C-SPAN and there was a woman talking to a Senate committee and she was talking about how she "managed to save her mother's savings" by getting her out of a reverse mortgage deal. Can someone explain to me about these reverse mortgages and the scam involved?

My father was always great with money and investing - it was practically his hobby. Now that he's getting up there in age, I worry that he may be bait for these types of scams. Not only do I not want my inheritance to be stolen (ha ha!), I think it must be very embarassing for the senior citizen who is taken by scammers.