COLUMBUS – A new report shows that nearly one in 10 older Ohioans is the victim of a scam every year, often costing them thousands of dollars.
Report a scam to the Ohio Attorney General’s office
According to the study, 263,000 Ohioans over age 60 is victimized by fraud every year.
The study by the consumer website compairtech.com found an estimated $6 billion is stolen, with an average loss per case of $17,000 and the vast majority of it goes unreported, so editor Paul Bischoff encourages family members to talk with older relatives about fraud.
“Keep an open line of communication with them, so that they know that they have somebody they can ask for help,” he said. “A lot of victims are maybe not sure about whether they even have even been scammed; or if they have been scammed, they may be ashamed to talk about it.”
The website’s research found roughly 8 million incidents of elder fraud annually across the country, with total losses of nearly $149 billion.