Resources

Ten Actions To Take NOW To Protect The Elderly From Financial Predators

1. Slow down new relationships. Predators speed up relationships in order to create confusion. This tactic is found in the following schemes: Romance, Grandchild, Investment, and Tech Support.
2. Romance Schemes. Ask your new “online friend” to conduct a video call. Also, have a friend or family member sit with you during the video call.
3. Online investment schemes. Be extremely careful taking investment advice from a new “online friend”.
4. Cryptocurrency. Be extremely careful making “online investments” or “online payments” through cryptocurrency.
5. Consider getting a new telephone number if you are receiving volumes of questionable telephone calls each day.
6. Do not click on links in texts or emails.
7. Always stay up to date on the latest updates for your computer and smartphone.
8. Know how to immediately turn off the volume of your computer, and also shut off your computer. Fraudulent “tech support” schemes will have a “pop-up” screen appear on the computer which warns a person that their computer has been infected with a virus. Sometimes the “pop-up” screen will also have an alarm. If a person gets a “pop-up” screen warning and if they believe it may be a “tech support” scheme, we suggest turning off the computer immediately. Also, do not call the telephone number that appears on the screen.
9. Do not put your driver’s license or credit card up to the camera on your computer if an online person that you do not know instructs you to do so.
10. Consider freezing your credit.

Veteran Educational Material

Thank you very much to the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs for creating the VSAFE.gov website! The Center suggests that anyone take a look at the educational material on this website and learn how to protect yourself and loved ones from elder financial abuse.

Also, please take a look at the Military.com article that explains the new website!

Occupational Therapist Checklist

The Center For Combating Elder Financial Abuse collaborated with Ms. Christine Rogers, a Doctor of Occupational Therapy Student at Washington University in St. Louis, MO. Ms. Rogers shared her expertise to develop the Detection of Elder Financial Abuse Checklist.

The purpose of the checklist is to provide the field of Occupational Therapy with a tool to quickly assess if a patient is a possible victim of elder financial abuse. Early detection of elder financial abuse can save a victim from potentially losing their entire life savings and experiencing severe emotional distress. The Center is confident that Ms. Rogers’ work will lead the way in helping occupational therapists protect patients from elder financial abuse.

Click here to download the checklist.

Living Trust Mills: Estate Planning and “Free Dinners”

Living Trust Mills – California Attorney General

Living Trust Mills – Minnesota Attorney General

Elder Financial Abuse and Suicide

Ms. Angela Stancik’s testimony on behalf of her late grandmother, US Senate Aging Committee, July 17, 2019: https://www.aging.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/SCA_Stancik_7_17_19.pdf

Church official as a predator

Justice.gov: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edtn/pr/roger-dale-williams-sentenced-63-months-prison-phony-investment-scheme

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olRLma9tcjY

Expiring driver’s license text/email fraud

https://www.stcharlesil.gov/scam-alerts

Grandparent Telephone Scheme

YouTube: Grandma tricks suspected scam artist

Minnesota Attorney General: Scams Targeting Grandparents