Today we seem to be hearing about more cases involving fraudulent behavior than at any time in the nation's past, though the FBI does not have accurate statistics that reflect this reality. This is due to the fact many victims of fraud do not report what has happened to them because of numerous reasons. Some are simply embarrassed to admit they fell prey to scam artists and grifters. But these types of crime are taking place at a staggering rate.
From identity theft to deceptive business practices and out and out criminality, like the tragic situation involving Bernie Madoff who was convicted of literally stealing billions of dollars from unsuspecting clients, the targets of such crime are often senior citizens.
These types of crimes in America are on the rise exponentially. This is proven when all these forms of criminality are statistically combined. For example, FBI data indicate the number of bank robberies has exploded during the past ten years. The only comparison we have to what's happening in the United States today can be drawn from what occurred during the 1930s and the Great Depression when normally law-abiding Americans resorted to crimes like simply stealing coal in order to heat their homes.
In fact, my mother and many other individuals I know who went through the hardships of that period did so in order to survive. These were hard times when even children broke the law...not because they were evil, but due to the fact the economic situation in America was so dire. There were also those who went beyond the pale in their acts of criminality from the infamous reign of gangs led by individuals like John Dillinger, "Baby Face" Nelson, "Pretty Boy" Floyd and the notorious Barker family whose mastermind, Alvin Karpis, was one of the few notorious crime figures to die of old age. The economic depression helped feed the fuels of crime from the most innocent forms to the creation of organized crime which still exists today.
However, in our highly technological age, there are those who have found unique and creative ways to break the law for their own personal profit. They are not driven by a need to put food on the table of a starving family. They are not robbing banks as latter day emulators of Robin Hood who feel the system has done them and society wrong. They are simply evil and, sadly, as previously stated, many of their targets include the elderly. The results of such crime are due to the fact many seniors did business with a hand shake and a promise to fulfill their obligation. Therefore, they are highly vulnerable in a society where traditional values have broken down. The Greatest Generation, a term first coined by Tom Brokaw, operate on the premise of trust and, subsequently, make perfect targets for Internet scams and other forms of criminality which find fertile ground among this group.
Recently, there was a story of a woman who claimed to have cancer and desperately needed money for an operation to help save her life. She set up a web site and, allegedly, collected over $25,000 from good-hearted Americans who simply wanted to help a fellow human being. Thankfully, this individual was exposed and is now awaiting trial, and I hope she collects a number of years in prison to go along with the booty she collected from those she defrauded.
Anyone familiar with the Internet has received an e-mail, saying something like this. "I need your help (for whatever reason) to transfer large amounts of money to a U.S. bank account." Of course, they tell you there's nothing illegal involved with their requests. Perhaps the story is about a U.S. soldier who stumbled across a hidden fortune in Iraq and wants to transfer it to a U.S. bank, and simply by providing your bank information, you can help someone who has served our country recover an untold fortune of Saddam Hussein's stolen booty.
Needless to say, those who fall for this ruse, instead of getting rich, have their bank accounts emptied. Scam artists claim they will deposit all of the money into your financial institution, and for your trouble, they will give you a large portion of this money to keep. The scammers say they will trust you to give them the balance of the money in return. But, in these circumstances, some victims of these scam artists can primarily blame themselves. Greed overtook common sense because they believed the person who contacted them over the Internet would help transform their lives with little work or effort.
However, many targets of such crime are seniors who are not motivated by self-interest. Their motivations are altruistic and these are the people who make the best targets. Recently, a close friend in his 80's fell victim to a rapidly expanding new version of fraud which had nothing to do with his getting rich. My friend received a phone call from someone claiming to be a police officer from Canada who told my friend his grandson had been arrested with two other Americans. They were in jail and needed to be bonded out. These scammers tugged at my friend's love and loyalty to his family.
They knew just enough information to make the phone call sound legitimate and a perfect storm began to gather. A phone number was provided. My friend tried to contact family members who lived in other states to confirm whether what he was hearing was true. Sadly, the process ended up in my friend losing a substantial amount of money, through no fault of his own. Now, if he was familiar with the Internet, the fact that the Canadian police wanted the bail money wired to a foreign bank (other than Canada) would have set off alarm bells. But many seniors are just coming up to speed regarding the Internet and the levels evil people will sink to in order to obtain their ill-gotten gain. Perhaps this scam might work with only one out of every 20 people contacted, but that one in 20 made these law-breakers' efforts worthwhile for them and devastating for another.
Most certainly, many confidence games have nothing to do with the Internet. For example, I was the targeted victim of a scam myself. A letter came to my home, but though the address was correct, the name was inaccurate. In essence, the letter read the company would check the status of the deed to my house for a mere $75. I called the company because any taxpayer can get this information from their County Clerk or Recorder of Deeds for no charge. However, for a moment, imagine being a recently widowed senior citizen who did not take care of the household's finances.
It would be perfectly understandable if he or she would have sent the $75 to this company. I questioned the individual who was providing this "service" to homeowners about why he was trying to rip me off. He admitted the information about the deed could be obtained for free, but he said many people "don't have the time or ..." Obviously, it was a scam. This grifter intentionally put the wrong name on the letter that came to my home with the intent to create anxiety and worry and generate revenue for himself. The worst thing about this particular confidence game is it may have been legal because this criminal could have said the wrong name on the letter was a misprint or typographical error.
I believe the mainstream media has not only a duty, but an obligation, to protect those who would be targeted by individuals who have reserved a special place in hell for themselves. I believe every local television station should have a consumer watch unit which specifically deals with issues that impact the scamming of senior citizens. A vast majority of the elderly are intelligent and able to identify and adhere to the well-known adage, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."
As the baby boomer generation ages, seniors will become more savvy regarding Internet fraud, identity theft and other such criminality. But there are those of all ages who need to become aware of a disease that is a result of the moral decay in our society. And, as economic times get harder, there will be more and more criminals who will use their evil ingenuity to achieve their goals.
Government also has a responsibility because many of its agencies require or suggest that applications for assistance from government programs be filled out and submitted electronically. Computers get hacked into every day. Recently, a U.S. military highly-classified computer database was subject to infiltration by another country's government. We live in a dangerous age where the savings of a lifetime of hard work can disappear with a click of a mouse. Perhaps we need to re-think the rapid expansion and use of technology, but in the mean time, we need to protect those who are most vulnerable.
Daniel T. Zanoza——
Bio and Archives
Daniel T. Zanoza of Lincoln, IL, formerly of Chicago, was born into life November 27, 1953, and born into eternity January 6, 2011.
He is survived by his wife, Julie, of Lincoln, IL.
Dan was a pro-life/pro-family activist, as well as chairman of the Springfield Nativity Scene Committee in Springfield, IL. He was also a journalist and freelance writer.
