June 15 is designated each year as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.
In recognition of the important day, Better Business Bureau and many other organizations have come together to help provide resources, raise awareness and prevent elder abuse throughout the year. Business owners can also partner by ensuring employees are trained on the signs of abuse and how to report any suspected mistreatment. The most common types of abuse are physical, emotional, financial and verbal.
The National Council on Aging says approximately 5 million older Americans are abused yearly, and the annual loss by victims of financial abuse is estimated to be at least $36.5 billion. Given such large numbers, it’s almost guaranteed business owners and employees will encounter someone experiencing a form of elder abuse. Employees in many different industries, including banking, real estate, home health care, home repair and beauty salons can help by watching for signs of someone being targeted by financial scams, as well as other types of signs of abuse. Employees can watch for signs within direct conversations with a senior, as well as by observing them.
The U.S. Department of Justice uses the following definition of financial exploitation: The improper use of an adult’s funds, property or resources by another individual including, but not limited to, fraud, false pretenses, embezzlement, conspiracy, forgery, falsifying records, coercion, property transfers or denying them access to their wealth.
Several signs that could indicate someone is the victim of financial exploitation are sudden changes in bank accounts or banking practices, including unexplained large withdrawals of money by someone accompanying the older adult or names added to a bank signature card; a caregiver who is controlling an elder’s money but fails to provide for their needs or seems overly concerned about the elder’s spending money; provision of substandard care or bills left unpaid despite the availability of adequate financial resources; unexplained disappearance of funds or valuable possessions or unexplained sudden transfer of assets or power of attorney to a family member or someone outside of the family.
Signs of psychological and emotional abuse can include unexplained or uncharacteristic changes in behavior, such as withdrawal from normal activities, a caregiver who isolates the elderly person or a caregiver who is verbally aggressive, uncaring or demeaning.
Employees who visit seniors in their homes or interact with them on a regular basis should also watch for signs of neglect and physical abuse, which can include a lack of hygiene, adequate food, clean or appropriate clothing, adequate medical aid and facilities such as appliances, electricity, heat or cooling, plumbing, etc. They can also include confinement to bed without care, a cluttered home with safety hazards, inadequately explained injuries and bed sores.
BBB is contacted daily about scams that target the elderly, and this is a perfect time to make sure that anyone providing services or care to an elderly person helps them stay aware of the red flags of scams. Three extremely common ones are:
Grandparents scam
The scammer contacts a grandparent claiming to be their grandchild in a dire situation and needs money. The plea is so persuasive the grandparent wires money to the scammer, only to find out their family member was safe later.
Bogus sweepstakes/lottery scam
These can come via email or a phone call, allegedly from a contest organizer informing the senior that they’ve won a prize. Scammers typically try to collect money first, using the guise of taxes, shipping or other fees to claim your winnings. None of these should be required if someone has actually won a prize. The recipient is usually urged to send the money by wire transfer or through loading funds on a prepaid debit card and then sharing the number and PIN with the “contest organizer.”
In a variation of this scam, a check is sent to deposit into the recipient’s bank account, with instructions to then wire the funds or use a prepaid debit card to send the “taxes” to a third party. The check is fake, so once the funds are retrieved on the other end, they’re gone with no paper trail. In both scenarios, the targeted victim gains no winnings and instead loses money.
Tech support scam
The senior receives a telephone call or sees 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 ask to be allowed access to the computer remotely. Once access is granted, the caller may pretend to run a “scan” and then claim the computer is infected with viruses. This opens up the opportunity for the scammer to offer to fix the problem, but it will come with a hefty fee — usually in the ballpark of $450. They may offer to add anti-virus software for an additional $200 or more.
There’s been many documented cases of these scams resulting in fees being paid when no issues existed to begin with. In addition, if a tech support scammer is allowed to access a computer remotely, they could instead be installing malware on the machine, which would allow them to scan files for personal information and to access accounts. This could lead to money loss or identity theft — or both.
Here’s tips you’ll want to share with anyone targeted by these schemes:
— Resist the urge to act immediately so you can do your research. Don’t rely solely on an online search. Ask for help or advice from a trusted family member or friend.
— If you don’t recognize a phone number, let the call 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.
— Make sure you know who you’re talking to. If you do answer a call or receive an email and then have concerns it could be an impostor on the other end, ask questions that would be hard for an impostor to answer correctly. Emails can be hacked, and phone numbers can be spoofed. If you are unsure, contact the company they claim to represent, only using a number or email address you know is valid.
— Never wire money or send gift cards to someone you don’t know. No government agency or sweepstakes company will ever ask you to wire money. If you didn’t enter a sweepstakes, you didn’t win.
— Be aware that a check can bounce even after your bank allows you to withdraw cash from the deposit. You will be responsible for the amount of the bounced check plus fees. Being asked to wire funds or provide the number from a debit card or gift card indicates you’re likely dealing with a scammer.
— Never give control of your computer or share passwords with anyone who contacts you. Do not click on any links or call a number on your screen warning of a computer problem. If you see a pop-up alert on your computer screen, shut down your computer and restart it rather than calling the phone number on the alert.
Suspected elder abuse fraud can be reported to:
— Your bank or credit card company. Depending on the fraud, they may be able to reverse charges for purchases made months or more before.
— Government agencies. The Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Initiative website, justice.gov/elderjustice, features an Elder Abuse Resource Roadmap to help quickly find the right reporting agency, financial topics and helpful resources.
You are also encouraged to report fraud on BBB’s ScamTracker page.
Michele Mason is president of the Better Business Bureau in Chattanooga.