Half of over- 65s are targeted in pensions scams

FRAUDSTERS are increasingly trying to fl eece Britain’s pensioners, alarming new fi gures reveal today.

And campaigners warn the threat is likely to increase after new pension freedoms were launched this week.

Scammers are using phone calls, texts, emails and the post to contact potential victims.

As well as aggressive “door- stepping”, tactics also include befriending vulnerable older people and isolating them from friends and family.

Many use seemingly professional documentation and offi cial- looking websites, impersonating a bank or the police to dupe the elderly.

Some even resort to threats and intimidation.

While many pensioners do not respond, of those who do 70 per cent said they had lost money. A third lost £ 1,000 or more.

The research, carried out by Age UK, found 53 per cent of those aged 65- plus have received some form of communication believed to be a scam, with 60 per cent never reporting it.

Twelve per cent said that a friend or relative had lost money through a fraud in the past two years.

Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: “The idea that anyone would target an older person to defraud them is horrible, but unfortunately it happens and we fear the problem is about to get a lot worse since the opportunities for fraudsters are increasing.

“There are a number of reasons for this, including the rising numbers of older people living with dementia and cognitive decline, and the fact that more older people are going online – the internet is a boon for older people but unfortunately it also opens up new possibilities for fraud.”

New pension freedoms allow those due to retire to do whatever they like with 100 per cent of their pension pot.

The charity warns that those over 55, who will now have access to large pots of pension savings, are likely to be increasingly targeted.

The worrying fi ndings come in a new report into fraud across the UK titled Only The Tip Of The Iceberg: Fraud Against Older People.

Age UK is calling for the Government to set up a national task force to highlight the problem.