When a bully appears on the playground he is often met with the phrase, “Go pick on someone your own size.” I find it interesting that the expression doesn’t find any fault with picking on someone. It only focuses on the fairness of the target. Children seem to naturally understand fairness.
Adults understand fairness too. For this reason, crimes against someone who is not able to defend themselves can bring a harsher punishment. This is the case with many crimes against the elderly. Some criminals specifically target senior citizens because our bodies and often minds are known to decline with advanced age. I recently had a senior share a sad story with me that I will briefly recount here in hopes someone else might be spared a similar loss. This was a classic scam, with so many red flags.
A stranger called and told the victim they represented a well-known national prize firm, whose contests the man had actually entered many times. The caller notified him he had won several million dollars. He discussed the process by which the money would be transferred but said it would have to wait until the man pre-paid the taxes owed on the winnings. The scammer built rapport by joking about how much everyone hates the IRS. The man agreed to provide the caller his banking information to facilitate the tax payment and speed up the process of paying out the winnings. The scammer advised him not to let word out about his winnings since people might want to take advantage of his new…
