Magazine content is available exclusively for TIME subscribers.ELDERSCAM
As a former real estate saleswoman, widow of a judge and mother of a prosecutor, Mary Ann Downs had far more financial and legal acumen than most aging fraud victims. Even so, con artists had little trouble scamming her out of $74,000. Why? How? Her story is a classic study in what makes fraud against elderly people, especially women, one of the biggest growth industries in America. Con men are bilking the elderly out of $40 billion a year, by one FBI estimate.
When her ordeal started, Downs was 77 and recently widowed and had just learned she had breast cancer....
Email, Password or Region is incorrect
A required form parameter was missing.
The System is currently down. Please try again in a few minutes.
Email Address is invalid
Password is blank
Most Popular »
- How Cash Keeps Poor People Poor
- E.T. Turns 30: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Our Favorite Extraterrestrial
- 15-Year-Old Creates Test for Pancreatic Cancer
- Nevada Ghosts: Rare Photos From an A-Bomb Test
- Fourth Flesh-Eating-Bacteria Case Confirmed in Georgia, Possible Fifth
- Euro Crisis: Why A Greek Exit Could Be Much Worse Than Expected
- 10 Dangerous Products You Might Have in Your Home
- Could a Fertility Gene Discovery Lead to New Male Contraception?
- Star Wars Turns 35: How TIME Covered the Film Phenomenon
- Obama Stumbles? Why the President's Right to Talk About Bain
- Researchers Probe the Potential Health Benefits of Palm Oil
- A Visit with Turkey's Controversial Religious Movement
- Feeding the Planet Without Destroying It
- Bubble on the Potomac
- Falcon's Liftoff: How a Private Firm Could Change Space Exploration
- The Fatal Flight of the Superjet 100: Why Did It Slam Into a Mountain?
- Learning That Works
- The Man Who Remade Motherhood
- Bibi's Choice
- Seoul: 10 Things to Do
More News from Our Partners
Top Stories on TIME.com
Quotes of the Day »
