As REMODELING has reported, the elderly are often more vulnerable to fraudulent home improvement contracts than others. Now, a new study from Florida State University’s College of Criminology and Criminal Justice could be the answer to stopping elderly fraud.

Researchers at the university recently compiled a report that looked into elder fraud and how to combat it. A 2011 report from MetLife Market Institute found that $2.9 billion was exploited from elderly victims. And the fastest growing population in the U.S. is those 65 and older, so the likelihood of elderly fraud in the years to come is high.

However, there is little research on the facts, prevention, and policies on this matter. In a partnership with Merrill Lynch and Seniors vs. Crime, the study began to look at elder financial fraud in The Villages, one of the nation’s largest retirement communities.

In a press release, Florida State University detailed the findings:Combing through diverse data — including reported incident data, arrest statistics, national surveys, focus groups and interviews — researchers found that in The Villages between January 2010 and May 2015, there were 3,735 complaints of elder fraud victimization, but only 265 arrests. The average age of fraud victims was 72, and the average lost among the victims was $2,000 per claim. They also found the most common source of fraud was in home services, particularly unnecessary repairs. The researchers also examined other types of fraud The Villages residents were exposed to, including misleading sales and advertisements, investment fraud, embezzlement, sweepstakes scams, fraud by health professionals, identity theft and forgery crimes. The report also addresses the methods used to exploit elderly victims and what made them particularly vulnerable to each type of fraud.

So what are the elderly to do? Researches recommend that education, skepticism, and a strong support network can help eliminate elderly fraud. Community service centers are also encouraged to provide help in elderly victimization.

Researchers want to expand the study to other retirement communities. Researcher George Pesta hopes that this research leads to establishing an institute for the study of elder fraud and abuse at the University. You can read the full report here.

Correction: A previous version, the article incorrectly referred to Florida State University as University of Florida.