Seniors

This page offers information and resources on keeping seniors safer with McGruff. NCPC thanks our corporate partners for making the United States more secure.

Senior citizens are frequent targets of telemarketing frauds and sweepstakes scams. Studies conducted by the Consumer Law Center, Inc., reveal that "fraudulent telemarketers direct anywhere from 56 percent to nearly 80 percent of their calls at older customers. One sweepstakes-related scam detailed on CBS' 60 Minutes reportedly bilked seniors in 24 states out of an estimated $5 billion. NCPC is designing, implementing, promoting, and evaluating a strategic approach to prevent telemarketing fraud and related crimes against seniors by promoting awareness and action of preventive strategies by senior consumers, law enforcement, and other community resources.

The research showed that many older people were worried about identity theft, strongly suggesting that the identity theft issue should be linked with telemarketing prevention to attract audience attention.

Media

NCPC recently released a new advertising campaign to reach audiences of senior citizens. The campaign includes a television PSA set in a fictitious "school for scoundrels" with a teacher coaching his students on how to scam seniors out of their personal information or money. Suddenly McGruff the Crime Dog® appears and tells the scammers that it's "hang-up time." Then the scene cuts to a couple of senior citizens, one answering a phony sweepstakes call. The senior, using one of McGruff's tips, shuts down the scammer. McGruff and the senior remind viewers that when you hang up the phone, "It's not rude, it's shrewd." McGruff directs viewers to 800-WE-PREVENT for more information.

NCPC published Seniors and Telemarketing Fraud 101 to accompany the PSA. This booklet helps reinforce the PSA and helps senior citizens sort through telemarketing offers so they can tell the difference between those on the up-and-up and those which are not.

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