TIME: 11:30 - 12:30pm

DATE:  Tuesday, March 20, 2018

TITLE: Internet Fraud and Scams: A Growing Form of Financial Exploitation Targeting Seniors

VENUE:  Halpern Centre, Rm 114 (SFU Burnaby Campus) 

SPEAKER:  Gloria M. Gutman, PhD

ABSTRACT: The older adult population is increasing rapidly throughout the world.  This surge in numbers is accompanied by a rapid increase in the use of the Internet as a communication tool.  This allows scam and fraud perpetrators to reach older adults with schemes for winning lotteries, requests for financial aid from "Nephews" on travel, and other ways of accessing bank account information and other resources.  About 1-10% of seniors in middle and high income countries are estimated to be victims of elder abuse, by definition (WHO/INPEA 2002) perpetrated by persons with whom they have a trust relationship.  Financial exploitation by strangers such as occurs via the Internet is estimated to be far greater in terms of dollars lost.  “According to the FBI, 80% of all scams in the USA target people between the ages of 55-85” says Richard Goralewicz, author of The Little Black Book of Scams.  This presentation will provide information about internet fraud and scams targeting Canadian seniors and the strategies being undertaken by government agencies, major senior advocacy groups, financial organizations, and other bodies seeking to reduce the frequency of such incursions into our savings and resources.  

ABOUT: Dr. Gutman is well known in the field of gerontology as a researcher, educator, author, and consultant. She developed the Gerontology Research Centre and Department of Gerontology at Simon Fraser University (SFU) and was director of both from 1982-2005.  She is currently a Research Associate and Professor Emerita at SFU.

Dr. Gutman has received many awards during her distinguished career among them, the prestigious Rosalie Wolf Award presented by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (2005), the Order of British Columbia (2010), an honorary doctor of Laws degree awarded by the University of Western Ontario (2010), a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal presented by the Canadian Association on Gerontology (2012) and the Order of Canada (2016) the country’s highest civilian honour. She is the author/editor of 22 books and monographs the most recent Aging, Ageism and Abuse (Elsevier, 2010) and Technologies for Active Aging (Springer, 2012).

Dr. Gutman’s research interests are wide-ranging; they include seniors’ housing, long term care, health promotion, seniors and emergency preparedness, gerontechnology, and prevention of elder abuse and neglect.  During her career Dr Gutman has held a number of high profile roles including being the founding President of the Gerontology Association of British Columbia, President of the Canadian Association on Gerontology, President of the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics and President of the International Network for Prevention of Elder Abuse. She has served on the World Health Organization’s Expert Advisory Panel on Ageing and Health and on the Advisory Board of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s Institute of Aging. Currently, Dr Gutman is Vice-President of the International Longevity Centre – Canada and a member of the Research Management Committee of the Canadian Frailty Network, Canada’s research and knowledge mobilization network focussed on late life issues and frailty.