14.5 million people believe they were targeted by a scam in 2010, and 2.5 million of those people fell victim, according to research by Age UK.
Age UK found that almost half of the over 60s they questioned said they have been targeted by a scam. While older people tend to be seen as being especially vulnerable to scammers, the charity’s research found that all age groups are equally at risk and that men are as likely to fall victim as women.
Older people were found to be most likely to become victims of holiday club fraud or timeshare investments – 17% of time share scam victims were found to be aged between 70 and 79 years old.
Break the silence around fraud
Age UK’s research found that many scam victims are unlikely to tell anyone about it, and that there is still a feeling of embarrassment related to being scammed. Only 8% went to the police, 9% got advice from organisations such as the Citizens Advice Bureau, and 72% didn’t tell friends or family about it.
The research also found that the most common type of scam people fell for was online fraud, with 34% of scams occurring via the internet.
If you have lost money to any type of fraud, report it to Action Fraud. We can beat fraud if we talk.
Read more about Age UK's scam research on Age UK's website.
Please note: Action Fraud is not responsible for the content on external websites.
To report a fraud, call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or use our online fraud reporting tool.
