June 2023: 

The MLO Minute: “World Elder Abuse Awareness Day and Avoiding Scams Targeting the Elderly” — 

By Jennifer Simons, Esq., Attorney in The Estates and Trusts Department — 

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is recognized annually on June 15. The purpose of this day is to increase awareness of the various types of abuse that our senior citizens often suffer, and to help others recognize, report, and try to stop/prevent abuse from occurring. Abuse of the elderly can happen in various forms such as physical, emotional, or financial. However, the instances of financial abuse are increasing in number, due in part to the digital world in which we live, communicate, and do business.

Seniors (especially those that live alone or are isolated) now spend a large amount of time on their phones and computers. They use these devices to interact socially with others, manage their bank accounts or make purchases online. This was especially common during the pandemic, when many seniors were quarantined in their homes alone and unable to visit with friends and family. But as seniors become more sophisticated in using these devices, it can also make them more susceptible to being victims of cyber crimes, and easy prey for those trying to scam the elderly out of their life savings. Seniors are often easy targets due to cognitive decline and the ability to access large amounts of cash quickly. Some common scams involve scammers pretending that the person they are calling or emailing is entitled to free prizes through a sweepstake, free medical devices, or is entitled to free grant money. The scammer uses ruses like this to obtain credit card or banking information and the victim’s address. Scammers are also known to impersonate government officials such as the IRS and demand payment for overdue taxes and threaten to arrest the victim. Another scam involves the scammer pretending to be a police officer or a court official saying that they missed jury duty and must pay a fine to avoid being arrested.

Crimes such as these against the elderly are particularly disturbing and World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is a reminder that we must all be vigilant to assist vulnerable individuals from falling prey to these scams. It is incumbent on family members, friends, and caregivers to teach the elderly how to safely navigate the internet and not to provide personal or financial information to people that they do not know, especially in response to a telephone call, email, or text message. It is also vital to report any incident or suspected incident of financial abuse or any type of elder abuse. In some cases, the person/s responsible for the crime can be caught and prosecuted and restitution can sometimes be made to the victim. Reports should be made to local authorities or elder abuse hotlines. When we provide estate planning or elder law services on behalf of families, we welcome the opportunity to discuss this issue with family members and our senior clients. The following link provides very helpful insights to avoid these scams and the abuse inflicted on the elderly population:

https://dos.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2022/09/safe_senior_anti-fraud_ed-en.pdf

Our experienced and dedicated Estate Planning and Estate Administration team is ready to serve you and your families at this important time! Click here to contact us today!