Approximately five million older Americans are abused each year according to the National Council on Aging (NCOA) with the annual loss by financial abuse estimated at least $36.5 billion. World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on June 15, and AWEAAD Week beginning June 12th, 2023 is an opportunity for dialogue and education regarding elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says one in six people 60 years and older will experience some form of abuse this year. But this number could be largely underestimated. The WHO estimates that just 1 out of 24 elder abuse cases actually gets reported…that’s just 4% of abuse being reported.
This painful impact on our seniors led the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (INPEA) to create this day in 2006 to raise awareness about the exploitation faced daily. Since then BBB and other organizations have come together to help provide resources and raise awareness to prevent elder abuse throughout June, Elder Abuse Awareness Month.
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“The best way to participate in this day is to learn the signs of elder abuse to better protect aging loved ones,” emphasized BBB President Judy Dollison.
BBB’s Director of Investigations, Lee Anne Lanigan, shares, “The most common types of abuse are physical, emotional, financial, and verbal. Some of the signs are tell-tale. Others are more subtle.”
BBB recommends business owners share the following signs with employees and families stay on alert for the following:
Neglect
• Lack of basic hygiene, adequate food, or clean and appropriate clothing
• Lack of medical aids (glasses, walkers, hearing aids, medications)
• Unsupervised person with dementia
• Person confined to bed without care
• Cluttered home, filthy, in disrepair, or having fire and safety hazards
•Home without adequate facilities (stove, refrigerator, heating, cooling, plumbing, and electric)
• Untreated pressure “bed” sores
Financial Abuse/Exploitation
• Lack of amenities victim could afford
• Giving excessive financial reimbursement/gifts for care and companionship
• Caregiver controls elder’s money but fails to provide for elder’s needs
• Caregiver is overly concerned about elder spending money
• Elder/adult signs property transfers (Power of Attorney, a new will, etc.) but is unable to comprehend the transaction or what it means
Psychological/Emotional Abuse
• Unexplained or uncharacteristic changes in behavior, such as withdrawal from normal activities
• Caregiver isolates elder
• Caregiver is verbally aggressive, uncaring, or demeaning
Physical/Sexual Abuse
• Inadequately explained fractures, bruises, welts, cuts, sores, or burns
• Unexplained sexually transmitted diseases
BBB is contacted daily about scams targeting seniors, costing them more than money.
BBB President Judy Dolison encourages, “Employees in banking, real estate, home health care, home repair, and beauty salons especially can help by watching for these certain signs.”
Become familiar with these common scams targeting seniors:
• Grandparents scam. The scammer contacts a grandparent claiming to be their grandchild who is in a dire situation and needs money, but not to tell the grandchild’s parents. The plea is so persuasive that the grandparent wires money to the scammer, only to find out later their family member was safe and sound all along. Often the scammer makes inferences from open social media posts.
• Bogus sweepstakes/lottery scam. A senior receives an email or phone call allegedly from a contest organizer stating they have won. But the winner must first pay taxes, shipping costs, or other fees to claim the winnings. YThe scammer demands money is sent by wire transfer or via a prepaid debit card (with the PIN shared). A scam variation asks seniors to deposit a check into the senior’s personal bank account and then wire or use a prepaid debit card to send the “taxes” to a third party. The check is a fake, and seniors are out the money. Either way, money’s lost.
• Tech support scam. Seniors receive a telephone call or see a pop-up alert on their computer screen from someone claiming to be with tech support from a well-known software company. They are told only a tech support employee can fix a problem they’ve identified, and they request remote access to the senior’s machine. Once access is granted, the caller may pretend to run a “scan” and claims the computer is infected with viruses. The scammer then offers to fix the problem for a fee. When access is allowed, malware may be installed which may scan files for personal information, which scammers can use to commit identity theft.
• IRS or Social Security Scams. Scammers impersonate someone from the Social Security Administration or the IRS claiming the senior owes additional taxes or that the SSN has been suspended. This frightens the senior into accepting any request that may reveal personal information or lose money. Another variation states the SSN has been used in a crime. Everything can be corrected quickly by the scammer.
The SSN nor the IRS will ever directly call or email and SSNs are never blocked or suspended. If contact is needed, it will be through the mail on verifiable letterhead.
• Sweetheart Scam/Hard Luck Scam. Seniors are taken in by a dubious relationship that often begins with befriending a stranger who requests small favors, eventually becoming a sweetheart. Over time, a sense of trust and sympathy forms which is then often followed by isolation from family and friends. As they ask for more and more, the scammer will play on the senior’s sense of competency. A variation is the request to help someone down on their luck. These scams may build over years and are often elaborate.
• Home Repair and Construction Scams. Scammers will knock door to door throughout a neighborhood offering to do services at a lower rate because they are in the area or have surplus materials. They will likely point out an urgent repair need to create a sense of urgency. Most repairs are phony and the scammers aren’t licensed. But they will insist on full payment for a poor job, or not completing the work at all. Seniors are prime targets as they are often home throughout the day when others are away.
• Investment Scams. Investments such as stocks, funds, bonds, notes, commodities, annuities, whole life insurance, currency, digital currency, and real estate are an easy way for scammers to take seniors for a wild ride. The scammer may present phony, non-existent investments, be unlicensed, or offer security products not registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The scams could also be legitimate investments inappropriate for seniors in their stage of life or might rely on deceptive sales practices to sell the products.
What Next?
• Resist the urge to act immediately, instead focusing on doing research going beyond just a google search. A trusted family member or friend could be a good source of insight.
• Know who the person really is. Ask questions that would be hard for an impostor to answer correctly. Emails can be hacked, and phone numbers can be spoofed. Contact the suspicious person personally using a phone number or email from a source other than from the person him/herself.
• Let unrecognized numbers go to voicemail. If it’s important, the caller will leave a message. Hang up on unexpected calls from anyone claiming to be tech support.
• Never wire money or send gift cards to any unknown persons. No government agency or sweepstakes company will ever ask for wired money or gift cards. If someone didn’t enter a sweepstakes, they didn’t win.
• Be aware that a check can bounce even after banks allow a cash withdrawal from the deposit. The person withdrawing will be responsible for the amount of the bounced check plus fees.
• Never give control of computers or share passwords with anyone unless self-initiated. Do not click on any links or call a number that pops up on your screen warning of a computer problem. If a pop-up alert surfaces on, users should shut down the computer and restart it rather than calling the phone number on the alert.
Report suspected fraud to:
• The bank or credit card company. Depending on the fraud, they may be able to reverse charges for purchases.
• Better Business Bureau at BBB.org
• Government agencies. The Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Initiative website features an Elder Abuse Resource Roadmap to help quickly find the right reporting agency, financial topics, and helpful resources.
Concerned people can also donate to an organization that advocates for the elderly. These organizations include:
• The AARP Foundation
• American Health Care Association
• Justice in Aging
• National Council on Aging
Better Business Bureau
