Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” There are many situations where people are exploited in a very unethical way. There are three projects that are going to be reviewed. They are all about a cruel social issue that has been implemented in our society, exploitation and fraud. The three topics that are going to be discussed are: one, Undocumented Immigrants being Exploited, two, Ponzi Schemes, three, Elder Abuse and Fraud. The suffering of people in various situations of fraud and exploitation should not be ignored, but should be acknowledged and legitimized by holding fully accountable those who have preyed on our vulnerable society.

The first topic is about Ponzi schemes. Ponzi schemes are when the schemer gets a continuous amount of high returns without any risk. They get unsuspected investors to join, in order to not run out of money. These schemes target the elderly and retired because they are more vulnerable to these types of attacks. The reason is that their old age deteriorates their common sense so they may not be able to realize that the schemer has bad intentions and is trying to scam them. All money that was invested through these schemes will be entirely lost once the fraudster is caught. Some schemers also try to target ethnic groups and even friends and family to join their scheme. This issue should matter to society because this type of threat can affect anyone. People can fall prey to unscrupulous individuals who convince others with such conniving schemes that lead you to ultimately believe in the saying that goes “if it is too good to be true”, it is probably fraud. The threat of a Ponzi scheme is that even though we are aware of the targeting of the elderly, a Ponzi scheme can affect any age group. For some people, losing their life savings and their hard-earned investments can be so devastating that they are pushed to drastic measures like suicide. People should continuously be aware and educate themselves of the risks when investing in ventures that may turn out to be fraudulent. 

The second topic is Elder abuse and fraud. Because of their old age, elders are targeted by scammers more frequently than others. There are multiple reasons why they are targeted. One reason is because of their retirement savings. Retirement savings can be up to tens of thousands of dollars which is very appealing to scammers. Another reason they are targeted is because of their tendency to lose their memory. One way they take advantage of this is by doing a certain scam called an impersonation scam, where they try to convince them that they’re a relative that needs financial aid. Also, the elderly’s politeness and trust in others is another reason why they are targeted. 3.3 million elders are victims of these attacks each year. There are multiple types of scams, like lottery scams, which is when elders get a call that they supposedly won a large sum of money or a high-value reward, but in reality, the prize is fake. This is extremely important for our society to know about because anyone’s close relatives can be taken advantage of. Even if this doesn't affect certain people at the moment, they should still care about the situation because raising awareness can prevent millions of attacks, and this information will help them later on in life if they find themselves under the same circumstances. The root of this problem is mainly greed. The reason behind this is that, in this situation, the elderly are targeted for their money by taking their personal information for the purpose of using these tools to strip them of their hard-earned life savings. I find myself feeling very compassionate for my elders being that I was raised in a household with the daily presence of my grandmother. Our family feels so much appreciation for our elders that we cherish and protect them each day including from any dangers that make them a vulnerable target. We make sure to educate my grandmother about the threats that are out there and do our best to shield her from them, while still allowing her to be an independent senior. 

The last topic is about Undocumented Immigrants being exploited. Undocumented Immigrants are forced to work 10-14 hours without break and be paid minimum wage. The reason why they are taken advantage of is that they don’t have the documents to legally live and work in that specific country. Blackmail is used to make them work, for example, superiors may report them to immigration if they don’t do their jobs. Undocumented immigrants also don’t make enough money to maintain a sustainable life. These immigrants have an effect on state, federal, and local budgets. My personal take on this issue is very close to home. My mother was an undocumented teenager that worked many hours a day, with no in-between breaks, except for a 30-minute lunch break. All that, to only be able to earn less than minimum wage. She was too young to realize that she was being exploited, since it was her first job, and because of her harsh living situation,  it was one of the very few options she had at the time. Unlike me, who was born with the privilege of having a legal status and being able to benefit from it, which unfortunately she didn’t have. I’m proud, relieved, and grateful to tell you that she has since gained legal status, but I will forever keep in mind the sacrifices she had to endure so that I could have a better future. I strongly believe that it shouldn’t take a personal experience in order to have empathy for those who have suffered and experienced situations that luckily not everyone has to go through. Many immigrants come to this country to work as nannies, housekeepers, gardeners, dishwashers, and more jobs that often go underappreciated; therefore they should be justly compensated for their hard and dedicated work. 

By offering validation and giving justice to a vulnerable society, we can begin to repair the damages that have been inflicted on our seniors, immigrants, and hard-working people who have been victimized by exploitation and fraud.  In conclusion, exploiting others should be addressed to the utmost extent of the law. There needs to be more awareness and education on the threats that plague our society so that we can move forward and extend justice and equality to everyone regardless of age, social, or legal status. Approaching these difficult issues at an early age, as we are doing now, can greatly impact and shape in a positive way the convictions, consciousness, and empathy of young adults.