David Burnes|Charles Henderson|Christine Sheppard|Rebecca Zhao|Karl Pillemer|Mark S. Lachs
Prevalence of Financial Fraud and Scams Among Older Adults in the United States: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
University of Waterloo|University of Toronto|Cornell University|University of Waterloo|University of Toronto|Cornell University|University of Waterloo|University of Toronto|Cornell University|University of Waterloo|University of Toronto|Cornell University|University of Waterloo|University of Toronto|Cornell University|University of Waterloo|University of Toronto|Cornell University
background financial exploitation older adults recently recognized centers disease control prevention serious public health problem knowledge prevalence elder financial exploitation mostly limited category financial abuse occurs relationships involving expectation trust little known major category elder financial exploitationelder financial fraud scams perpetrated strangers valid estimate elder financial fraudscam prevalence necessary foundation research prevention efforts objectives estimate prevalence elder financial fraudscam victimization united states based systematic review metaanalysis search methods multiple investigators independently screened titles abstracts reviewed relevant fulltext records pubmed medline psycinfo criminal justice abstracts social work abstracts ageline databases selection criteria maximize validity generalizability prevalence estimation restricted eligibility general populationbased studies english speaking 1990 onward using state nationallevel probability sampling collecting data directly older adults data collection analysis information elder financial fraudscam prevalence studylevel characteristics extracted independently 2 investigators metaanalysis elder financial fraudscam prevalence used generalized mixed models individual studies levels random classification factor main results included 12 studies involving total 41 711 individuals metaanalysis overall pooled elder financial fraudscam prevalence 5year period across studies 56 95 confidence interval ci 40 78 1year period prevalence 54 95 ci 32 76 studies using series questions describing specific fraudscam events measure victimization found significantly higher prevalence 71 95 ci 48 94 studies using single generalquestion selfreport assessment approach 36 95 ci 18 54 authors conclusions elder financial fraud scams common problem affecting approximately 1 every 18 cognitively intact communitydwelling older adults year requires attention researchers clinicians policymakers elder financial fraudscam prevalence findings study likely underestimate true population prevalence provide methodological recommendations limit older adult participation reporting bias future populationbased research public health implications elder financial exploitation victimization associated mortality hospitalization poor physical mental health health care professionals working older adults likely routinely encounter patients fraudscam victims validation instruments screen elder financial fraud scams clinical settings important area future research without effective primary prevention strategies absolute scope problem escalate growing population older adults