With the family together this holiday, it may be a good time to
review your parents finances looking for signs of fraud and
exploitation. Sylvia Miller told us about a neighbor who seemed so nice
taking her to appointments but ended up cleaning out her bank account.
"I learned a very good lesson," said Miller.
For others it's an
even harder lesson. "The oldest victim we had was in their late 80's
taken for about $100,000," explains Lt. Mike Yarbrough with Jefferson
County Special Investigations.
Financial exploitation of someone
over sixty is a felony in Alabama. Yarbrough says the culprits are
family members, caretakers, financial advisers, even attorneys. He says
the scammers come across as so nice and helpful running errands and
taking unsuspecting seniors to appointments.
"Unfortuantely there
is temptation anytime money is around," warns Alabama Securities
Commission Director Joseph Borg. With our population aging, it's the
elderly who have most often amassed wealth making them prime targets.
"That's where the money is; that's where crooks are going."
And if
a senior has diminished capacity with dementia or Alzheimer's, these
thefts often go undetected. The Alabama Securities Commission is
focusing more on financial abuse of seniors. Stock brokers and financial
planners are now required to report suspected exploitation.
To learn more call:
1-800-222-1253
http://www.asc.alabama.gov/
Full Article & Source:
Financial exploitation costing elderly $3 billion each year
1 comment:
Add the cost of a guardianship and it's way over $3 bil
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