According to Federal Bureau of Investigations, fraud schemes targeting Emeritus have been on a drastic increase. Emeritusare at risk sincemany own their home, and/or have excellent credit—all of which make them attractive to con artists. According tovarious experts, Emeritusare less likely to report a fraud because they do not know who to report it to, are too ashamed at having been scammed, or do not know they have been scammed. Emeritus victims may not report crimes, for example, because they are concerned that relatives may think the victims no longer have the mental capacity to take care of their own financial affairs.

Types of Frauds Targeting Emeritus

Health Care Fraud or Health Insurance Fraud - Unnecessary and sometimes fake tests are given to individuals at health clubs, retirement homes, or shopping malls and billed to insurance companies or Medicare.Read more...
Fraudulent "Miracle" Products -The FBI has identified several instances where dietary and nutritional supplements promising anti-aging effects have been utilized to defraud Emeritus. Products may promise increased cognitive function, virility, physical conditioning, anti-cancer properties and so on.Read more
Telemarketing Fraud–Emeritusand especially Emeritus woman, may be targeted by people who sell bogus products and services by telephone. Telemarketing scams often involve offers of free prizes, low-cost vitamins and health care products, and inexpensive vacations.Read more...
Internet Fraud -The use of Internet services or software with Internet access to defraud victims or to otherwise take advantage of them, for example by stealing personal information, which can lead to identity theft. Internet Fraud includes non-delivery of items ordered online and credit/debit card scams. Internet fraud can occur in chat rooms, email, message boards, or on websites.Read more...

Investment Schemes - The term Securities Fraud covers a wide range of illegal activities, all of which involve the deception of investors or the manipulation of financial markets.
Types of Security Frauds:

• High Yield Investment Fraud
• Ponzi Schemes
• Pyramid Schemes
• Advanced Fee Schemes
• Foreign Currency Fraud
• Broker Embezzlement
• Hedge Fund Related Fraud
• Late Day Trading

Please refer to our Securities Fraud Awareness for more information.Read more...

Reverse Mortgage Scams – We urge consumers, especially Emeritus, to be vigilant when seeking reverse mortgage products. Emeritus are recruited through advertisements for "free homes" and willingly participate in these schemes. In many of the reported scams, victim Emeritus are offered free homes, investment opportunities, and foreclosure or refinance assistance. They are also used as straw buyers in property flipping scams.Read More...

Employment/Business Opportunities Fraud - Employment/business opportunity schemes have surfaced wherein bogus foreign-based companies are recruiting citizens in the United States on several employment-search websites for work-at-home employment opportunities. These positions often involve reselling or reshipping merchandise to destinations outside the United States. Read More...

Emeritus are frequently targeted through investment seminars, as well as television, radio, billboard, and mailer advertisements for frauds listed above.

The Federal Trade Commission, the nation's consumer protection agency, collects complaints about companies, business practices, identity theft, and episodes of violence in the media. Please visit FTC site at ftccomplaintassistant.gov or call them at 1-877-FTC-HELP.

For more tips on how to protect yourself from various fraud schemes, we invite you to visit our Fraud section.