According to the BBC, the "reports of frauds on the elderly are 'tip of an iceberg'". They go on to say, "Fraudsters scammed nearly 49,000 older people across the UK in the past year, equivalent to almost six reports every hour, a BBC investigation has found. The total number of reports has nearly doubled in the past three years, 5 live investigates has learned. But one expert said the true number of elderly victims was likely to be in the millions. Police said more victims were coming forward but admitted they were the 'tip of the iceberg'".
How do we define an "elderly victim" today? as a youngster I thought anyone who was over the age of 60 was ancient, now I am less than two years from that milestone! It seemed to me to be a great privilege or rather 'lucky' to reach 65 and draw your state pension! Not having a Christian education, I didn't realize that God was in control of all events. The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD. Prov. 16.33 (a little believed verse!). Now, computers as we know them today didn't exist when I was a teenager in the seventies, they were nearly the size of Africa! In 1986 I paid just under £3000 for a 'mobile' phone, and all it could do was make phone calls! the batteries would last only about an hour or two, and you had to go about with a spare, and the charger! Mobile phones (effectively mini computers), lap tops, tablets, and hand held devices of all sorts are now available at literally a fraction of the cost of that first mobile of mine. And how technology has advanced since that time! In the western world, at least, it seems everyone young and old has one of the aforementioned devices. Today's youngsters seem to be on their gadgets 24/7, walking into lamp posts, for they are glued to their screens! and behind closed doors, even the elderly are perhaps not lonely anymore, getting up to all sorts on-line? We have been led to believe that getting "connected" is the "best thing since sliced bread", but is this so? The government, HMRC, DVLA, the Banks, and the rest are encouraging everyone to go "paperless", yet, in reality, we do the printing at the other end! I get letters and e-mails from my bank all the time encouraging me to go paperless, so they can close even more high street branches! It seems that we are being pushed into this cyber-world, and will be powerless to do anything about it, for most want to participate in it.
Going back to BBC article above;
"Among those to have been repeatedly scammed is a farmer in his 80s from Norfolk who has lost £450,000 over six years after fraudsters convinced him he had won £1.5m in a lottery. His daughter in law who asked not to be named, said: 'They said all he had to do was send them an administration fee, it started small about £300 and then he should receive the money. But they didn't stop at that, obviously he didn't get his money and they kept ringing. Its gone out of all proportion since that initial contact.' Police and trading standard officers in Norfolk have been involved in his case but his family believes he is now "addicted" to his pursuit of a big-money payout and is still trying to send money. 'I think the scammers are absolutely evil,' she said. 'But they are also very clever in how they do it and they make it sound very plausible, so much so that it sucked him in and probably hundreds of other people.'"
I agree, "the scammers are absolutely evil", but what of her father in law? is not the love of money the root of all evil. 1 Tim. 6.10 as well?
The article, which is well worth reading, goes on to say last year alone, 1140 victims of cyber crime were aged over 90, and 13 over 100! Professor Keith Brown from Bournemouth University, an 'expert' studying all of this, said "these reports represented as few as 5% of the true total. Its hugely under reported, we're talking about millions of victims," he said. "If this were burglary or street crime there would be a huge outcry, but its hidden behind closed doors. Over the next few years this will become the next big scandal like the dawning realisation of the scale of child abuse." I think he may be right.
I myself must get dozens of scam e-mails from many and various sources, some are blatantly obvious, you really do wonder how folk could fall for them! others not so. I get sent e-mails from scammers representing organisations saying they will close my account if I don't respond, and this from organisations that I don't even have accounts with! - so they are easy to bin!
I fear a lot of people won't come forward because of the shame factor, it is embarrassing for many to admit they are 'stupid'.
All of this is taking place in "cyber space" this is the realm of darkness, where the prince of the power of the air, Eph. 2.2, rules supremely. This virtual reality or cyber-world, where these on-line acts of evil are taking place, are in actual fact only extensions of the world that the 'victims' want to partake in. Take for example the aged Norfolk farmer, he would, if he could, pull down my barns, and build greater, Lk. 12.18, he is obviously not content with such things as ye have, Heb. 13.5.
To a certain extent, I have no sympathy with this man, for he doesn't sound like he was penniless, and no doubt the daughter in law is trying to protect the family inheritance! don't get me wrong, I would rather these internet gangsters did not exist, but, sadly they do. Internet/cyber crime is doubtless vastly under reported and will increase, the 'clever' crooks don't need to rob banks and jewelry shops anymore, it is so much more 'clean' and 'bloodless' to do it on-line. But, is it really bloodless? how many suicides, or premature stress related deaths have been caused by these criminals? at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man. Gen. 9.5. The wicked, *evil spirit of the devil that worketh in the children of disobediece (Eph. 2.2) in this cyberspace crime will in my opinion, bring in more on-line control, regulation, and censorship, all in the name of security! In the history of man, has man ever made one good law? Is our wicked ungodly government (and police force) capable of doing anything for our good in this regard? And lets not forget, the next government is going to be even more wicked! It is strange, this paradox; wicked laws will be drawn up for our 'benefit', no doubt in the name of bringing wicked people to justice! The Professor in the above article said "fraud is costing UK consumers £10bn a year in losses, up from an estimated £4-6bn annually in 2016." I believe, in the name of security, the internet cyber-world will be a completely different place in 5-10 years time, judging by all the updates I presently get, how long will it be before you try to enter certain sites, or type in certain words, and names when a RED FLAG gets thrown up? who knows, the internet thought police may come knocking on our doors.
*When I say the "evil spirit" I mean that the children of disobedience are not possessed, literally, with a demon as in the NT; only that by the act of disobeying God's commandments, are they disobedient! Disobedience, in and of itself is an "evil spirit", rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft 1 Sam. 15.23!
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