Spotting Elder Abuse

Seniors wear a large target for financial abuse and exploitation.  Telemarketers sell auto-club memberships to seniors who no longer drive, caregivers who help with banking withdraw cash for themselves, and adult children drain their elderly parent’s retirement savings and change their wills. 

According to the Federal Trade Commission, people 60 and older accounted for 27 percent of fraud complaints last year, up from 22 percent in 2011.  Scams against the elderly ranked as the worst complaint category in 2013.  Yet, these statistics illustrate only a fraction of the problem because most senior financial abuse goes unreported.  However, an array of new tools and techniques are helping seniors with financial abuse and prevent it from occurring. 

New research is pinpointing which seniors are most susceptible to financial scams.  Health problems, primarily those involving cognitive impairment, make seniors vulnerable to cons.  Because of the links between physical and financial health, investor-education groups have begun training doctors and pharmacists to spot elder financial abuse.  Family members can also look for many of the red flags that doctors are taught to evaluate.

Planning can go a long way toward protecting your finances in the event of declining health.  Tell trusted relatives where to locate your financial documents in case you fall seriously ill.  Set up direct deposit of any income and benefit checks you receive regularly.  If you designate a power of attorney for finances, put safeguards in place to prevent abuse. 

See Eleanor Laise, Retirees, Protect Yourself From Fraudsters, Kiplinger, Nov. 2014.