Finance: One in three pensioners a victim of criminals and conmen – new research indicates theft is on the rise
May 1, 2009
Research by Intune, the financial and insurance services provider for older people, shows that more than one in three (35%) of people over the age 60 has been a victim of theft, vandalism, fraud or con artists in the last year, with nearly half (47%) of the victims choosing not to report it. Furthermore, nearly one in four (24%) has been the victim of a non-violent crime.
The July 2008 British Crime Survey (BCS) recorded that 22% of the population were a victim of crime in 2007/08, including violent crime, with older people at less risk of most types of crime than younger people. The new research indicates that the level of many types of crime experienced by older people is greater today than suggested in the last BCS. The percentage reporting theft from a person and theft from the home were all greater than in the last BCS. Furthermore, a staggering 35% of the over 60s reported being the victims of conmen and scams in the last 12 months.
Mark Gettinby
Mark Gettinby, Director of Financial Services at Intune says: “Although older people are very unlikely to be a victim of a violent crime, our research indicates that the number suffering from other types of crimes and scams is worryingly high. We would like to see more reporting by victims to encourage and support police and government action.”
4% of people surveyed had experienced theft from their homes and 4% theft from gardens, which is significantly greater than the 2.6% of the population who reported burglary in the last BCS. 6% of the Intune survey group had property stolen whilst they were in a public place, which is higher than the 3% risk of theft from a person reported for the highest risk group of men aged 16-24 in the last BCS. The research also found that 3% of over 60s had property stolen whilst on holiday.
Vehicle related crime was also significant; 3% of those surveyed had their car stolen in the last year, 5% had property stolen from their cars, 4% had had their cars vandalized and 5% had been the victims of damage from uninsured or absconding drivers.