91-Year-Old Stabbed Boston Woman a Victim of a Crime Wave Against the Elderly

A 91-year-old woman is recovering after being stabbed multiple times outside the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston on Tuesday night. Police say the woman was stabbed while walking her dog in Franklin Park.

Recent Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) crime statistics for 2021 indicate a nearly 10 percent increase in crimes against the elderly population – the 65 and older crowd.

The news media is full of stories about violent crimes against seniors in New England and beyond.

A 51-year-old Merrimack, Massachusetts man was sentenced to prison last month for breaking into the home of a 74-year-old woman and raping her repeatedly.

A Windsor Locks, Connecticut man, charged just days ago with assaulting and seriously hurting a 70-year-old woman, was arrested in Massachusetts last year for injuring a 62-year-old librarian.

A western Massachusetts couple was sentenced to prison last month for bilking $100,000 from a man with dementia.

Those are just the top results of a Google search on crimes against New England's elderly.

It goes on and on.

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Though violent crime, robberies, and house breaks are real concerns for our elder community, fraud appears to be the biggest threat.

According to the FBI, "Each year, millions of elderly Americans fall victim to some type of financial fraud or confidence scheme, including romance, lottery, and sweepstakes scams, to name a few."

"Criminals will gain their targets' trust and may communicate with them directly via computer, phone, or the mail; or indirectly through the TV and radio," the FBI stated. "Seniors are often targeted because they tend to be trusting and polite. They also usually have financial savings, own a home, and have good credit – all which make them attractive to scammers."

"Seniors are less inclined to report fraud because they don't know how, or they may be too ashamed at having been scammed," the FBI said.

According to the FBI, the growing senior population is "racking up more than $3 billion in losses annually" to fraud – and the problem is growing.

The FBI has provided tips on how to recognize a scam, how to protect yourself from being scammed, and how to report a scam .

The Boston Herald reported that the woman who was stabbed on Tuesday night has been identified as 91-year-old Jean McGuire, the first Black woman elected to the Boston School Committee and an early Civil Rights leader.