An analysis of the level of financial exploitation among individuals aged 40 and older in Turkey

The growing older population and the increasing digitalisation of financial transactions make the identification and prevention of financial exploitation, which threatens adults’ economic security, increasingly important. This study aimed to determine the level of financial exploitation among adults aged 40 years and older living in Türkiye and to examine its relationships with financial knowledge, financial attitudes, and financial behaviour. The quantitative, cross-sectional, correlational study included 409 participants recruited through convenience sampling. Data were collected using a questionnaire and analysed through descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression. The participants’ mean financial exploitation score was close to the midpoint of the scale. Financial exploitation was positively and moderately associated with financial behaviour (r=0,410) and positively but weakly associated with financial knowledge (r=0,213), whereas its bivariate relationship with financial attitudes was not significant. The regression model explained 18,8% of the variance in financial exploitation. Financial behaviour was the strongest positive predictor (β=0,400), financial attitudes were a negative predictor (β=-0,104), and the independent contribution of financial knowledge was not significant. In conclusion, preventing financial exploitation requires prioritising practical education that develops safe financial behaviours and protective attitudes, together with age-friendly banking measures and institutional support mechanisms, rather than relying solely on the transmission of financial knowledge.