Why are elderly people more likely to be targets of counterfeit drug dealers?

There are many reasons why the elderly become the targets of counterfeit drug dealers. First of all, the elderly usually need medical services and medication more than other age groups. This may be due to the decline of physical function of the elderly and the increase of the incidence of chronic diseases. Because the elderly rarely use modern technologies such as the Internet and social media, they may also lack relevant knowledge and information, which is easy to be used by some lawless elements.

Secondly, the elderly have limited knowledge of drugs and are easily misled by propaganda. Many elderly people lack in-depth understanding of medical knowledge. Although they may think they have understood some medical terms or drug names, in fact they have not really mastered these knowledge. Therefore, they are easily deceived by some fake drug salesmen and buy ineffective or even harmful drugs.

In addition, the elderly often suffer from various frauds in their daily lives. Because of their relatively large property and assets, they have also become the targets of some unscrupulous businessmen and fraud gangs.

In order to prevent the elderly from being cheated, we can take the following measures:

1. Educate the elderly how to use drugs correctly and tell them not to buy unproven drugs at will. Especially those drugs promoted through telephone, SMS, WeChat and other channels, we should be more cautious.

2. If the elderly need medicine, they should ask a professional doctor to prescribe medicine to avoid buying medicine through illegal channels. This can ensure the safety and effectiveness of the drug.

3. Tell the elderly to pay attention to avoid listening to phone calls or emails of unknown origin and handle the sales information of strangers with caution. Advise them not to trust phone calls and emails of unknown origin.

4. Help the elderly to install anti-fraud software and equipment to ensure that they can identify and report spam messages, phone calls and emails. This can reduce the interference of scammers.

5. It is suggested that the elderly should consult with family doctors or medical staff in community health centers before purchasing drugs or medical services to get reliable advice and guidance. This can avoid choosing the wrong medicine or medical service.

In short, we should pay attention to the health and safety of the elderly, help them raise their awareness of prevention, and effectively prevent the scams of counterfeit drug dealers.