You don’t need to be bombarded with a great deal of statistics or crime reports to know that the elderly are targeted by fraudsters. There will be plenty of facts and figures that will back up this notion but you only have to get into the mind-set of a criminal to understand why targeting the elderly makes more sense.
There is a good chance that the elderly will have access to a lot of savings. It may well be that the elderly do not have anyone else around them, which means that they can be befriended while also not having anyone else to speak to or gain advice from. There is also a lot to be said for the fact that the elderly are vulnerable. This means that they are more susceptible to con stories and they may be keen to do more to minimise any disruption or hassle to their life.
This means that many fraudsters and con-artists will focus on the elderly when it comes to making their money, and it is why there needs to be a great deal of support handed out to the elderly. It would be good if there were better plans and structure in place to prevent these crimes from taking place, but that may be difficult to hear. There is definitely a big call for the punishments handed out to people who undertake these crimes to be bigger though. If a crime is suitably punished, it can only be hoped that there will be enough of a deterrent against people, which will provide the level of protection that the elderly need and deserve.
The Court heard how the Elderly were Targeted
A case held at Exeter Crown Court recently has focused on two brothers who systematically focused on the elderly and vulnerable. The plan of action was to get the elderly to invest in bogus firms and they managed to con close to £560,000 from eight elderly people. One of the ways in which they carried out this fraudulent activity was to make links to the Lord’s Cricket Ground. This is the sort of thing that can make the elderly feel as though a project is worth investing in. The name of Lord’s is one that is well known and respected and sadly, too many elderly people will take this information at face value and assume that it is all true. This creates the platform where the elderly are more than happy to invest in a bogus investment firm, which means that the con-artists have a simple task.
The court heard how the money was siphoned off with a considerable amount of money being spent on high value cars. It was told that a Range Rover and a Porsche Boxer were amongst the cars snapped up by the fraudsters.
The Fraudsters claimed to have a Contract with Lord’s
Lee and Mark Chapman were the brothers who were found guilty of a number of fraudulent acts, although Lee was acquitted on 4 charges. Their company, SPS, claimed that they had contracts in place to sell Lord’s branded products. The products said to be on offer were sun cream, gin and whisky and the brothers claimed that they held contracts to sell these products to leading supermarket chains. Again, the use of well-known names and semi-plausible situations means that the elderly would have listened with intent and would have felt that this was a genuine opportunity for them to make some money by making a sensible investment.
As part of their fraudulent activity, a newsletter was created which talked about having international contracts in place and a £6m turnover. The activity took place between January of 2007 and August of 2012. While one other man, Marc Payne, was cleared of the five fraud charges he faced, the sentencing for the brothers will take place after probation reports have been received.
There will no doubt be a great deal of interest in the punishment handed out to the men, and people will be looking for a serious punishment to send out a serious message. This is where the defence solicitor representing the brothers needs to be strong and focus on the facts of the matter. In this instance, the work of a defence solicitor is to properly represent the clients and provide them with the fairest of punishment.
Andrew Reilly is a freelance writer with a focus on news stories and consumer interest articles. He has been writing professionally for 9 years but has been writing for as long as he can care to remember. When Andrew isn’t sat behind a laptop or researching a story, he will be found watching a gig or a game of football.
