The first time a beloved relative in his mid-70s wired several thousand dollars to strangers, believing he was paying taxes on huge lottery winnings, it seemed like a fluke, a mistake he would understand once we straightened him out.
Then it happened again. And again.
In less than a year, this Ivy League-educated professional sent at least $23,000 to slick con artists who came to know his personal interests, as well as his bank-account, credit-card and other personal information. Yet even more shocking than how effectively and efficiently scammers won his trust and his retirement savings was how impossible it was to stop them.
His children and stepchildren counseled him, cajoled him and took him to task. Experts, lawyers and his doctor were consulted. Law-enforcement agencies, from the local police to state officials to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, were called. He agreed to give power of attorney to a son to help with financial matters. Yet he continued to send away money he couldn't afford to lose, fully expecting to see a huge reward in a matter of days.
"We never found a law-enforcement agency that cared," the son says. "To me, nobody gave a damn."
Full Article and Source:
A Family's Fight to Save an Elder From Scammers
Then it happened again. And again.
In less than a year, this Ivy League-educated professional sent at least $23,000 to slick con artists who came to know his personal interests, as well as his bank-account, credit-card and other personal information. Yet even more shocking than how effectively and efficiently scammers won his trust and his retirement savings was how impossible it was to stop them.
His children and stepchildren counseled him, cajoled him and took him to task. Experts, lawyers and his doctor were consulted. Law-enforcement agencies, from the local police to state officials to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, were called. He agreed to give power of attorney to a son to help with financial matters. Yet he continued to send away money he couldn't afford to lose, fully expecting to see a huge reward in a matter of days.
"We never found a law-enforcement agency that cared," the son says. "To me, nobody gave a damn."
Full Article and Source:
A Family's Fight to Save an Elder From Scammers
Well said --- she never found a law enforcement agency that cared.
ReplyDeleteThis is a big problem. Law enforcement generally turns away complaints -- so the record is there was no crime.
This has got to stop!
It's true, in general people don't care about the elderly or vulnerable. Sad, but true.
ReplyDeleteThis is typical -- everywhere a victim turns, the doors slam.
ReplyDeleteArticles like this shine a light on the problem. Thanks for posting it!
If there's no record of the crime, there's no crime!
ReplyDeleteSo when we see all those studies about elder abuse and they're quoting numbers, you can be sure the numbers aren't correct!