Technology Peak: Why the Elderly Fall for Scams

Jan 15 2022 • 11 mins

Why are older people so susceptible to scams? There could be a relationship to the music you loved in your teen years. Just as most of us have a Musical Peak in our teens, I propose that we also have a Technology Peak in our 20s-40s. Nudging our elderly relatives out of their Technology Peak, and into the present, is the only way to break this pattern. And the only way to do it is by showing them.

References:

Study of link between adolescent age and music preference: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2059204320965058

Other references:

https://usa.kaspersky.com/resource-center/preemptive-safety/phone-number-spoofing

https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/12/17003076/spotify-data-shows-songs-teens-adult-taste-music

https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M15-0882?doi=10.7326%2FM15-0882

https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolynrosenblatt/2014/02/13/why-do-elderly-parents-fall-for-scams-that-seem-so-obvious-to-us/?sh=2d28ad2991d8

https://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/home-and-family/personal-technology/2016/09/2016-Longevity-Economy-AARP.pdf

https://www.marketplace.org/2019/05/16/brains-losses-aging-fraud-financial-scams-seniors/

https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M15-0882?doi=10.7326%2FM15-0882

https://neurosciencenews.com/music-youth-17765/

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/10/opinion/sunday/favorite-songs.html

https://neurosciencenews.com/music-youth-17765/

https://www.statista.com/statistics/189959/housing-units-with-telephones-in-the-united-states-since-1920/

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/snake-oil-salesmen-knew-something/

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056262/