Practitioner perspectives on what works in preventing fraud against older adults
Button, Mark ; Karagiannopoulos, Vasileios ; Shepherd, David ; Kirby, Annie ; Lee, Julak ; Suh, Joon Bae ; Jung, Jeyong ; Koh, Chol Soo (2026) — Journal of Economic Criminology
Type:
Journal Article
Country:
Global
Synopsis (AI-Generated)
This catalog-style synopsis examines the topic of practitioner perspectives on what works to prevent fraud against older adults, as discussed in the Journal of Economic Criminology. It aggregates viewpoints from professionals across sectors such as financial services, social care, law enforcement, healthcare, and community organizations, focusing on the practical measures that practitioners believe are most effective in real-world settings. The coverage emphasizes prevention rather than enforcement outcomes and centers on everyday interventions, risk communication, and the design of supportive environments that reduce opportunities for fraud. The narrative is organized around common themes that practitioners report influencing preventive success, including education and awareness, process safeguards in financial transactions, and the role of trusted networks in monitoring and reporting suspicious activity. It also considers the conditions under which these preventive approaches are implemented, including resource constraints, staff training, and coordination among agencies and service providers. The synopsis notes that perceptions of effectiveness are shaped by context, such as local risk profiles, cultural and linguistic needs, and the availability of data and evaluation tools. The material offers a reference point for policy and practice by highlighting practical implications, potential standard practices, and avenues for collaboration between public institutions, private sector actors, and community groups. Overall, the focus is on translating practitioner insight into accessible guidance for safeguarding older adults from fraud, while acknowledging variation across settings and populations.
Identified Gaps (AI-Generated)
Explicit gaps identified include a lack of high‑quality evidence on what works to prevent fraud against older adults; existing guidance relies on expert perceptions rather than causal evaluation. The study notes limited generalisability due to a predominantly UK-based, non‑random sample. There is insufficient robust field testing across scam types, populations, and settings, and little evidence on long‑term effectiveness of prevention tools. The authors call for targeted funding and rigorous testing to determine causal impacts, broader cross‑national testing, and better alignment of evaluation methods with real‑world prevention outcomes.
Methods (AI-Generated)
The study combines a literature review, 17 interviews with professionals in policing, government, NGOs, and prevention firms, and a survey of 334 practitioners. Findings are organized into a four‑part taxonomy of prevention—digital technology, education, third‑party control, and partnerships—and rated by experts on a 1–5 effectiveness scale, collapsed into effective vs ineffective/neutral. Analysis compares UK and overseas responses and highlights top‑rated methods such as bank staff interventions, targeted age‑specific alerts, and tailored educational approaches, with ethical approval obtained and data collection conducted 2022–2024.
Limitations (AI-Generated)
Limitations include limited generalisability due to a non‑random, primarily UK‑based expert sample; reliance on expert perceptions rather than causal, real‑world evaluation; potential response biases and unequal representation across regions and agency types; cross‑sectional design and potential shifts in scam landscapes; taxonomy constraints that may overlook certain prevention modalities; and potential ethical/perspective biases in respondents' views. These factors mean findings should guide rather than dictate policy, and underscore need for more rigorous, diverse testing.
Future Work (AI-Generated)
Future research should secure funding for robust evaluations of fraud prevention for older adults, prioritising high-quality methodologies (e.g., field tests, quasi-experimental designs, or randomised trials) and testing interventions across diverse jurisdictions and scam types. The agenda should standardise outcome measures, compare digital technologies with targeted education, and assess the scalability and ethics of third‑party controls and partnerships. Researchers should collaborate with banks, health and social care providers, and local authorities to build longitudinal evidence on effectiveness and cost‑benefit to inform policy and practice.
AI-Generated Content Notice
The synopsis and research notes on this page were generated with AI from available publication information and, when available, the uploaded paper text. They may contain errors, omissions, or interpretation issues. Readers should follow the DOI or source link, review the original publication, and make their own judgment about the content.