Blankets, filters, prizes: how scammers "cheat" older people and how not to become their victim

[jisansorkar12]

Usually in the "Sales" section we talk about how to attract and retain clients, how to increase the efficiency of managers. But this time we will talk about the tricks of fraudulent sellers and protection against them. This article will be useful to everyone who has heard about "healing" blankets, knives with eternal sharpening and miracle water filters. Read it yourself and send the link to your parents, grandparents.



Why do scammers target the over 50 category?
There is a problem: dishonest citizens often sell pensioners and people of usa whatsapp list pre-retirement age goods and services that are not worth the money. The news reports about this, message boards warn about it, but the scheme works fine. We have already made an attempt to study the peculiarities of perception and behavior of people of pre-retirement age. If you are interested, the article is at this link .

Here's what's generally more typical for older people, and what scammers take advantage of:

they are gullible. Often these people believe that if a product is advertised on TV, radio and in newspapers, it is of high quality. If for us “they said so on TV” is a trigger to be wary, then for them it is a “quality mark”. Like children, they trust “expert” images more: if it is a white coat, then it is a doctor, and if it is in uniform, it is definitely a security officer. The situation is aggravated by the fact that the 50+ category has a worse command of modern terms and it is easier to “palm off” something dubious on them.
often keep their savings at home. The generation that witnessed the 1991 default does not trust banks as much as young people.
Blankets, filters, prizes: how scammers "cheat" older people and how not to become their victim 1

they have health problems and they want to get rid of them;
not everyone can check information on the Internet or consult with relatives;
We are happy to communicate and receive attention.
Trust and stereotypical thinking make people 50+ easy prey for scammers. Yes, you can't steal millions from them, but not every pensioner will sue for, say, 100 thousand. And some will not even understand that they were deceived.



What are the main schemes used to deceive?
Thieves are constantly coming up with new ways to relatively honestly steal money from the population, but they are based on universal schemes. We have already written in the blog about the most common online fraud schemes. And here is how people 50+ are most often “cheated” (this is just a list, without ranking by frequency of cases).

1. Presentation of miracle products. People are invited by phone to a meeting where they promise to treat them to fruit, raffle off prizes and show them unique things in the meantime. What are you saying, you don't have to buy! Just come. But just in case (to get a loan in your name) take your passport. At the presentation they push special bed linen, belts and slippers, "eternal" pots and pans, ionizers and humidifiers, knife sets, etc. The bestseller is a blanket made of Australian merino wool, which "cures" all diseases, including cancer and HIV. But merinos are also bred in the Moscow region, and there are gullible clients all over the CIS.

2. A visit from uninvited social workers. While one of them is chatting nicely with you, the other one is quietly searching your apartment and stealing valuables. The so-called utility workers work in the same way when checking gas and water meters.

3. Diagnostics and repair of windows, pipes, wiring. Such "masters" can hang up an announcement about their inspection in the entrance in advance - supposedly, everything is official and safe. They may not steal anything, their scam is different: sell a penny sealant at an exorbitant price or take an advance payment and disappear.