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Over the past two decades, as the proportion of older Americans has increased, so too have instances of elder abuse, including physical, emotional, and sexual abuse; financial exploitation; and caregiver neglect. The most recent national survey estimates show at least 1 in 10 community-residing older adults experience elder abuse each year, which translates to over 7 million Americans annually. Rates of abuse are magnified for older adults with the least financial and social resources, including those with low incomes, living in isolated rural communities, and facing structural barriers such as systemic racism. Emerging research on the COVID-19 pandemic prompts even greater concern for elder abuse: the virus has disproportionately affected older adults, resulting in increased social isolation, physical health impairment, and exposure to COVID-related fraud.

Recognizing the urgent need to develop and rigorously evaluate programs aimed at preventing elder abuse, the US Department of Justice's National Institute of Justice funded a demonstration from 2017 to 2021 during which researchers from the Urban Institute and practitioners at the Phoenix-based Area Agency on Aging, Region One ("the Area Agency") co-developed an elder abuse prevention program in Maricopa County, Arizona, which Urban's team then evaluated through a randomized controlled pilot study. This multiphase demonstration included an initial planning phase and a subsequent pilot study, which is the focus of this report.

The EMPOWER: Building Late-Life Resilience program is a 12-week in-home intervention, with one-hour weekly visits designed to empower community-residing older adults with the resiliency and resources to lead safe and healthy lives throughout the aging process. EMPOWER provides one-on-one assessments, client-centered prevention education, and needs-responsive life skills training embedded in a series of cognitive reframing conversations with an experienced facilitator. The program has eight modules, each of which culminates in an action plan focused on strengthening a client's internal assets and identifying sources of positive social support. Caseworkers facilitate motivational discussions centered on clients' self-identified goals and action planning, with the aim of optimizing clients' home safety, physical health, social connectedness, and emotional and financial well-being.

These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they there received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except of the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompany readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collections and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.

The objectives of the study were: (1) To determine the nature, incidence, and prevalence of fraud victimization among elderly consumers in Arizona and Florida; (2) To identify risk and protective factors associated with fraud victimization in this population; and (3) To evaluate the elderly population's awareness and use of state-based programs, including reporting behavior to law enforcement.

The study is comprised of data from telephone surveys of 2,000 aged 60 years and older Arizona (n = 1,000) and Florida (n = 1,000). The survey was obtained via computer assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) administered by Precision Research in June and July of 2011. Data were collected seven days a week during specific times of the day that had the greatest probability of contacting a respondent. The interviews were primarily conducted in English but a Spanish survey instrument was constructed and used when necessary.

Estimates suggest that up to 16% of American adults--approximately 40 million people--fall victim to mass marketing scams each year. Mass marketing scams include any attempts to fraudulently solicit money from consumers through mass communication methods, such as the internet, telephone, and mail. Complaints to consumer protection agencies have risen 240% in the past 10 years (Federal Trade Commission [FTC], 2013, 2023). According to conservative estimates from the most recent Consumer Sentinel Network Report (FTC, 2023), Americans reported more than $2.7 billion in direct losses from fraud in 2022. In addition to financial costs, consequences to victims include feelings of shame and embarrassment, loss of trust, depression, and, in the most severe cases, suicidal ideation. These consequences of fraud are particularly impactful for older adults who suffer higher losses per incident, on average (FTC, 2022) and face greater challenges recovering from losses after retirement. Research on elder mistreatment in general has shown that older victims consume 30% more mental health and substance abuse services and are hospitalized more often than non-victims.

These scams convince susceptible targets that they have won bogus sweepstakes, merchandise, free vacations, or lotteries, but they first need to pay money to claim their winnings. Based on data from one major investigation from 2011 to 2016, the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) found that Americans sent $558 million in checks, credit card payments, and money orders through the mail in response to such scams (USPIS internal data). Overall, the USPIS estimates that 3% of U.S. adults--7.5 million Americans--have mailed a payment in response to mass marketing fraud and that 60%-70% of these individuals are revictimized by a similar solicitation or an entirely different offer. Given these figures, reducing the incidence of mass marketing fraud could save millions of dollars annually.

Although the FTC, the National Council on Aging, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Better Business Bureau, American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), and other agencies and organizations routinely disseminate fraud education and awareness materials, it is unclear how much of these materials reach the most vulnerable populations. Much of the content is available online, yet according to the Pew Research Center, only 75% of adults older than age 65 use the internet, and only 64% have home broadband. Printed materials are also disseminated at senior centers, libraries, legal service offices, and outreach events, but older adults who are socially isolated and most susceptible to fraud are unlikely to be reached through these venues.

To address gaps in intervention research, Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International and the University of Minnesota conducted the Mass Marketing Elder Fraud Intervention (MMEFI) Study with collaboration and support from the USPIS. This multiphase research project included a secondary analysis of USPIS administrative data on prior scams and a randomized controlled trial test of the efficacy of two variations of a mailed intervention for preventing revictimization by mail fraud. The overall objective was to provide specific policy recommendations to the USPIS and other consumer protection agencies regarding the effectiveness of a mailed intervention. The MMEFI Study had the following specific goals:

• Enhance knowledge and understanding of repeat victimization among older victims of mass marketing scams.
• Engage in rigorous testing of the efficacy of two versions of a fraud intervention strategy geared toward preventing repeat victimization among older victims of mass marketing scams.
• Assess victims' perceptions of the intervention and collect self-report data on experiences with other types of fraud by surveying individuals in the intervention study.