How to Prevent Financial Exploitation of Seniors

Sylvia* was 92 years old when her husband died unexpectedly. Residents of West Hollywood for more than 40 years, the couple had no children and their families lived across the country. 

Distraught and frightened to suddenly be alone, she discovered a lifeline when a seemingly kind neighbor reached out and said, “I’ll take care of you.” 

The young man did her marketing, took her to her doctors’ appointments and paid her bills. He also stole most of her money. 

“He put himself in my path and I trusted him far too much," she said. "I really believed that he wanted to help me."

She reported the crime to Adult Protective Services, and the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station assigned a team of detectives to the case. A long and painstaking investigation led to the neighbor's arrest and five months in jail.

"While seniors are often the target of scams, most are victimized by people they know and trust, such as family members, caregivers or unethical professionals, such as attorneys, physicians or financial advisers," said Detective Brian Nelson of the .

L.A. County Deputy District Attorney Gina Satriano, who is in charge of the Elder Abuse division, added that it's very hard to know how common these crimes are, because so few are reported.

“Victims are often too ashamed, fear retaliation or are unable to report the abuse," she said. "And the situation goes undiscovered.”

A recent statewide study of 4,000 New York residents 60 years and older found alarming rates of undetected elder abuse, neglect and financial exploitation. The New York State Elder Abuse Prevalence Study found 43.9 self-reported cases to every one reported to an agency.

Satriano offered several tips for prevention:

• Never give out personal information over the phone.
• Never do business with someone who shows up at your door.  
• When looking for a contractor, get three bids and check each company with the Better Business Bureau.
• Use direct deposits for the receipt of Social Security, pension payments and other monthly incomes.
• Check with the police if you are not sure of something or someone. Scammers can be very convincing.

West Hollywood provides prevention education to older adults in various ways that include Neighborhood Watch meetings, seminars, visits to senior housing complexes and media outreach. 

If you are a victim of elder abuse or you know an older adult who you believe is a victim of any form of abuse, contact Adult Protective Services at 888-202-4248 or the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station at 310-855-8850.

 *Sylvia is not the real name of the elder abuse victim.