2024-03-24 21:28:44
Frauds and stings of the elderly are some of the problems that senior citizens face in the field of consumerism, a phenomenon that has continued since the beginning of the war. In addition to complaints about fraud, the consumer center for the elderly of the public trust organization received hundreds of inquiries about daily consumer harm. From the mapping of the senior citizens’ complaints received at the center since the outbreak of the war, it became clear that the most frequent issues relate to problems in canceling a transaction (19%), problems with charges (15%) and misleading the consumer and a gap between promise and fulfillment (13%).
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The public trust survey conducted last June revealed, among other things, that 58% of senior citizens testified that they had experienced one or more consumer harms in the past year. 15% testified that they experienced three or more consumer injuries. It also emerged that one out of seven consumers in their third age who experienced a consumer problem stated that the problem was not solved and that they preferred not to contact any party to solve the problem. 20% of the consumers who participated in the survey stated that they are not at all aware or only slightly aware of their consumer rights.
The Public Trust Organization has been handling consumer complaints for about 18 years, including complaints from senior citizens, free of charge. On the eve of the war, the Public Trust, with the support of the Fund for Class Actions, opened a dedicated consumer hotline for senior citizens, with the aim of providing them with a personal and professional response, making their consumer rights accessible and assisting them, free of charge, with complaints and dealing with businesses. The hotline is active for the benefit of senior citizens at 074-7002200.
“In general, the senior population is more exposed than the general population to consumer vulnerabilities, as they are less aware of their consumer rights, and in addition rarely use complaints as a tool to solve problems in general, and consumer issues in particular,” says attorney Dr. Orit Hammerman Golan, director of the “Consumer Intelligence” project “In public trust. “Low digital literacy and the lack of accessibility to digital and online platforms, along with fear of harassment from the business and shame from the family, are just some of the reasons for this.
Attorney Dr. Orit Hammerman Golan (Photo: Courtesy of Public Trust)
“At the public trust, we also handle complaints about ‘stings’, but mainly complaints related to daily consumer conduct such as problems canceling a transaction, charging a different amount than what was agreed, late or non-arrival of a technician, non-delivery of a product or delivery of a defective product. Unfortunately, even during the war , the complaints continue. At our center for the elderly, the senior citizens receive personal and professional assistance, both in answering consumer questions and handling complaints against businesses.”
Hammerman Golan emphasizes: “Senior citizens, our parents, grandparents, experience real difficulties every day in the world of consumerism and are exposed to exploitation by businesses. The hotline for senior citizens of the public trust was established to address this problem.”
In the meantime, the Consumer Authority of the Histadrut and the Histadrut of Pensioners published yesterday a survey conducted for them by a Geocartography company, which shows, among other things, that 22% of senior citizens in Israel have experienced cases of fraud since the outbreak of the war, and this when 94% are aware of the danger of consumer fraud.
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