A one-hour special at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 29, on WVXU-FM will explore why so many senior citizens are victims of con artists, fraudsters, and even family, friends and caregivers who take their money and abuse their trust.
Brains and Losses will be reported by David Brancaccio, Marketplace Morning Report host.
Here's the program description:
Brains and Losses: The bottom line on aging and financial vulnerability
Neuroscientists and gerontologists see evidence that people become more vulnerable to financial exploitation as they age. Con artists, fraudsters, even family, friends and caregivers take money from seniors and abuse their trust.
According to researchers, the shame of these crimes prevents victims from reporting or talking about them, creating a crucial public policy issue.
Marketplace Morning Report host David Brancaccio presents immersive storytelling to explore the evidence for what doctors are calling "Age-Related Financial Vulnerability."
The Marketplace team presents stories of fraud victims and their families from across the U.S., including a 78-year-old substitute school nurse, who lost more than $230,000 in what started as a computer support scam, and mushroomed into a blizzard of gift card purchases and a bank transfer to Nepal.
Supported by a wide range of nationally-recognized experts – from the Stanford Center on Longevity, to an elder justice advocate recognized by a MacArthur Foundation "genius" grant, to the grandson of the New York philanthropist at the center of the most high-profile case of elder financial fraud this century – Brains and Losses presents solutions journalism for audiences who want to protect themselves and their loved ones as they grow older.
