Financial exploitation of seniors: how to protect yourself and loved ones

Beckley, WV (WVNS) - On Tuesday, March 26, Fayette County deputies arrested a caretaker for stealing money from her elderly client. Susan Harrah allegedly took the victim's credit card without permission and used it at multiple locations.

Social worker at the Raleigh County Commission on Aging, Crystal Foley, said financial exploitation of senior citizens is not uncommon and comes in many forms.

"Whether it's a scam, whether its stealing out of their checkbook, going out grocery shopping for them and taking some off the top before you give them their checkbook back..." Foley said.

She said it is important to educate the elderly on what to look for and how to protect themselves. Foley advised to never give a caretaker access to your finances, regularly check bank accounts, and hire caretakers from an agency that requires background checks.

"Seniors are a vulnerable population anyway and then if you open up your home to a perfect stranger that doesn't have anyone backing up their credibility, then you open up a whole new set of issues that can come out of it," Foley said.

She also said just because a person is a close family friend does not mean they can be trusted as a caretaker. In fact, she said a lot of financial exploitation cases come from family or close friends.

"If you can avoid letting them have access to that family member's financial matters...do that," Foley explained.

If you think you or a loved one might be a victim of financial exploitation, contact local law enforcement immediately. You can also reach out to adult protective services or your local commission on aging for more information.

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Financial exploitation of seniors: how to protect yourself and loved ones

Raleigh County Commission on Aging sheds light on elderly abuse

Statistics show that elderly abuse is a growing problem in the United States.

According to the National Council on Aging, one in 10 Americans ages 60 and older experience some form of abuse.

To spread awareness about this problem, the Raleigh County Commission on Aging hosted its 13th annual elderly abuse conference.

Guest speakers at the conference say there have been more cases of elderly abuse now compared to years past.

“We probably make a referral every two or three months to Health and Human Resources of something that we suspicion,” Jack Tanner, Executive Director of Raleigh County Commission on Aging, said.

But cracking down on elderly abuse is difficult. Some cases go undocumented altogether.

“Certainly in a lot of cases it goes under-reported,” Crystal Foley, a social worker at Raleigh County Commission on Aging, said. “We have a lot of cases that are reported, but it gets so under-reported that, as this last speaker was talking, for fear of retaliation.”

But elderly abuse is not just physical abuse. It’s also financial, mental and emotional abuse.

“Financial exploitation in elderly is really easy to do,” Foley said. “They’re so trusting. They get to the point where they can’t write checks anymore, they can’t see to pay their bills any longer, so they ask somebody to help them.”

Tanner says combating the problem is about education and empathy, and it starts with younger generations.

“We need to recognize the need to educate all of our young folks,” he said. “The circumstances of our elderly and what could be going on that you never have an opportunity to see.”

Foley agrees with Tanner.

“You have to know what you’re looking for,” she said. “We need to know where to report it if you do see it. There’s just a lot of things that come together to create that puzzle, and we all want those pieces to fit for everybody.”

If you or someone you know has been a victim of elder abuse, you can call the Health and Human Services hotline at 1-800-677-1116.

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Raleigh County Commission on Aging sheds light on elderly abuse