ELDER
VICTIMIZATION
In 2003, 640 Americans over the age of 65 were murdered.46
Almost
69,000 elderly Americans (age 65 or older) were victims of non-fatal violent
crime in 2003.47
Adult Protective Services substantiated 166,019 reports
of elder maltreatment in 2000.48
Twenty percent of elder maltreatment
substantiated by Adult Protective Services involved physical abuse, 13 percent
involved caregiver neglect, 10 percent involved financial exploitation, 8
percent involved emotional/verbal abuse, and less than 1 percent involved sexual
abuse.49
Of all victims reporting telemarketing fraud to the National
Fraud Information Center in 2003, 34 percent were seniors (age 60 or
older).50
Almost 4 million elderly people (age 65 or older) were
victims of consumer fraud, making up 11 percent of total victims of fraud.51
46 Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2004). Crime in the United
States, 2003. Washington, DC: FBI, U.S. Department of Justice.
Online: http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius_03/pdf/03sec2.pdf.
47 Catalano, Shannan.
(2004). Criminal Victimization, 2003. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice
Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice. Online:
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/cv03.htm.
48 Teaster, Pamela. (2003). A Response to the
Abuse of Vulnerable Adults: The 2000 Survey of State Adults Protective
Services. Washington, DC: National Center on Elder Abuse. Online:
http://www.elderabusecenter.org/pdf/research/apsreport030703.pdf.
49
Ibid.
50 National Consumers
League. (2004). 2003 Telemarketing Fraud Report. Washington,
DC: National Consumers League & National Fraud Information Center.
Online: http://www.fraud.org/telemarketing/03telereport.htm.
51
Federal Trade Commission. (2004). Consumer Fraud in the United
States. Washington, DC: Federal Trade Commission. Online: http://www.ftc.gov/reports/consumerfraud/040805confraudrpt.pdf.