Sophocles wrote: “Old age and the passage of time teach all things.” Well, it turns out that those lessons can be brutal. “Some 5 million older Americans are financially exploited every year by scammers [and] at the hands of greedy, desperate or drug addicted relatives and friends, among others. The total number of victims is increasing as baby boomers retire and their ability to manage trillions of dollars in personal assets diminishes. One financial services firm estimates seniors lose as much as $36.5 billion a year. But assessments like that are ‘grossly underestimated,’ … For every case reported to authorities, as many as 44 are not.” From telephone pitches to online scams to screwed up relatives, this is How Criminals Steal $37 Billion a Year from America’s Elderly. (Sophocles also wrote about Oedipus, so I’m pretty sure he saw this trend coming…)