Elderly needs protection from scammers

I REFER to the report “Elderly woman loses over RM670,000 to Macau scam” (The Star, Sept 28) on scammers visiting a 72-year-old woman after duping her into believing that her details had been used for criminal activities and then fleecing her of her savings and jewellery.

It shows the targeted focus of these criminals nowadays. The younger generation are not easily fooled anymore, but the elderly, especially those with little knowledge of what cybercrime is, are potential victims.

These scammers seem to know details of the elderly citizens’ bank accounts. How are they privy to such information before they embark on their plot to cheat the unsuspecting victim?

I remember that soon after I retired, I began receiving calls from unknown numbers. I answered a few, and the callers tried to interest me in investing in some scheme that would guarantee enormous financial gains.

One even advised me on how to invest all my property and money on a programme that would grant me an annual income that would enable me to live without any financial worries for the rest of my life.

These scammers somehow knew that I would have received financial gratuity from the government after I retired from my job as a teacher. My wife also received a barrage of similar calls after she retired.

What would an elderly person do after losing everything to scammers? They are left destitute and totally dependent on charity to survive. In the case of investment scams, some would argue that it is due to greed that they lost their money.

I beg to differ. The elderly are vulnerable because advanced age has an effect on the way they think.

The elderly can be easily frightened when they receive threatening calls. This happens in scams involving telephone calls from individuals disguising themselves as officers from the Royal Malaysia Police, Bank Negara Malaysia, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission or other law enforcement agencies.

They become disoriented and are unable to think clearly especially when someone accuses them of a crime. Scammers know that the elderly have these weaknesses and exploit them.

It’s time to put safety nets in place to protect these vulnerable people. Banks must place extra precautionary measures on accounts belonging to persons above the age of 60. Any sudden withdrawals, especially online transfers amounting to tens of thousands, must be checked thoroughly before being approved.

Lengthy jail terms and whipping must be enforced on convicted scammers as a deterrent measure. Let not the elderly continue to be easy targets for scammers.

DEVARAJ RAMOO

Seremban