End the tech scams targeting Britain's vulnerable OAPs

ACROSS the UK, older people are facing a growing threat that too often goes unrecognised in policy circles and corporate boardrooms: digital scams. As more services and communications move online, so too do the risks. Scammers are evolving fast, using increasingly sophisticated tactics to defraud some of the most vulnerable in society.

- Martin Jones

Take 92-year-old Eileen, from Surrey. She has lost count of the number of con attempts she has endured. Some come through the phone a caller pretending to be from her bank, urging her to “verify” her details. Others arrive in emails, falsely warning that her pension account has been compromised or enticing her with too-good-to-be-true investment opportunities.

She’s even had text messages telling her she’s won prizes for competitions she never entered. These fraudulent messages come almost daily, leaving her anxious and fearful of every incoming call or notification.

Sadly, Eileen’s story is far from unique and her experience captures the lived reality of many older people navigating a digital world that is not built with their safety in mind.

The latest findings from our New Ageing Index paint a stark picture of a crisis that disproportionately affects older generations. These frauds are not only robbing people of their savings they are eroding trust, damaging mental health and leaving victims isolated and afraid. And the problem is growing.