The romance delusion: How scammers prey on loneliness in old age

The findings of a study on a 1950s doomsday cult help explain why appeals to reason fail to break the spell.

- Chong Siow Ann

"Old age is not a battle. Old age is a massacre" was that wry observation made by the protagonist in American writer Philip Roth's novel Everyman, which chronicles the misdeeds, despair and losses that come with growing old. Among the indignities of ageing must surely include being targeted as an easy mark for a scam - a threat that's heightened these days by technology making it difficult to tell online if someone is real.

Older people are disproportionately targeted for scams because they are perceived to have more money, to be less savvy with technology, and more likely to have cognitive decline and deficits.

Studies have linked susceptibility to scams in older adults with lower cognitive functioning, including mild cognitive impairment and early signs of dementia, as well as changes in certain brain structures which render them less able to infer the thoughts or intentions of others, and hence less able to assess a risky situation.

The elderly may also be more susceptible to the mind games that scammers are so adept at playing - creating a sense of urgency or stirring up excitement over the prospects of a money-making scheme or a new romance.

THE ALLURE OF THE NON-EXISTENT ALEXA BLISS In October, The New York Times reported on the travails of Alfred, a 79-year-old widower and Chris, his 47-year-old son. Alfred, who had endured significant losses in his life, was duped into believing he was in a romance with a female wrestling star called Alexa Bliss. Over the course of several years, he gave away a million dollars to the online impostor and a cast of fraudsters. The amount included his entire retirement savings and his granddaughter's college fund.