There are a number of reasons why seniors are targeted by counterfeit drug traffickers. First of all, seniors usually need medical care and medication more than other age groups. This may be due to the fact that seniors have declining physical capabilities and an increased incidence of chronic diseases. As the elderly are less likely to use modern technologies such as the Internet and social media, they may also lack the relevant knowledge and information, making them vulnerable to being exploited by unscrupulous individuals.
Secondly, older people have limited knowledge of medicines and are easily misled by propaganda. Many elderly people lack in-depth understanding of medical knowledge, and although they may think they have understood certain medical terms or names of medicines, in reality they have not really grasped such knowledge. As a result, they are easily deceived by some fake drug salesmen and buy ineffective or even harmful drugs.
In addition, the elderly are often subjected to various fraudulent behaviors in their daily lives. Since they have relatively more properties and assets, they also become the targets of some unscrupulous merchants and fraud gangs.
To prevent our own elderly from being cheated, we can take the following measures:
1. Educate the elderly on how to use medicines properly and tell them not to buy unproven medicines at will. Particularly those medicines that are marketed through channels such as phone calls, text messages and WeChat should be treated with more caution.
2. If the elderly need medication, they should be told to seek a prescription from a medical professional and avoid purchasing medication from illegal channels. This will ensure the safety and effectiveness of the medicines.
3. Tell the elderly to avoid listening to phone calls or emails from unknown sources and to be cautious in handling sales messages from strangers. Advise them not to trust phone calls and emails from unknown sources.
4. Help seniors install anti-fraud software and devices to ensure they can recognize and report spam texts, calls and emails. This will reduce the distraction of scammers.
5. Advise older people to consult their family doctors or medical staff at community health centers for reliable advice and guidance before purchasing medicines or medical services. This will avoid choosing the wrong medicine or medical service.
In short, we should pay attention to the health and safety of the elderly and help them raise their awareness of precautionary measures to effectively guard against the scams of fake drug dealers.