Older people in Shropshire and Mid Wales warned over fraud
One in three fraud victims is at least 65 years old, according to research that suggests older people are more likely to be targeted by scams.
Charity Victim Support said analysis showed 35 per cent of those referred to its services for help following fraud incidents are aged 65 or older.
The finding comes as new figures show a major jump in overall crime levels as estimates of fraud and cyber offences are included in official data for the first time.
The categories – including phone, email and internet schemes – are thought to affect millions of people each year and are seen as vastly under-reported.
Victim Support said this was illustrated by the fact that it received 39,272 referrals from police following such crimes in the year to September.
It also comes just days after West Mercia and Dyfed-Powys Police warned people to be on guard against a distraction theft which has hit the region.
Earlier this month, an elderly woman in Oswestry had £20,000 taken from her account by the scammers. A man and a woman with foreign accents had watched her take money from a machine in the centre of Oswestry before following her home and asking for directions, swiping her card in the process. The money was then taken by transactions at various locations.
In another case, a former soldier who swindled elderly people in Shropshire out of thousands of pounds and dealt in Class A drugs was jailed for five years this year.
Stephen Lovatt's spiral of criminal activity stretched back more than four years and included theft, deception and fraudulent trading. He targeted vulnerable elderly people from across Shropshire.
More than one in three victims of cyber crime was 65 or over, despite this age group making up only 18 per cent of the UK population, while 19 per cent were at least 75.
Lucy Hastings, of Victim Support, said: "Fraud damages lives, not just bank accounts, and the fact that fraudsters are targeting vulnerable older people is both disturbing and despicable.
"We know that the vast majority of fraud goes unreported – largely because victims are too embarrassed to come forward, or are afraid of ridicule.
"We need to take away the stigma, so that victims of fraud have the confidence to report it, knowing that they are not alone and will be taken seriously."
