World Elder Abuse Awareness Day 2021

June 15^th was designated as World Elder Abuse Awareness day by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the World Health Organization. At Country Bank, we are dedicated to spreading awareness about the devastating effects of elder financial exploitation. This is a form of elder abuse in which the funds or assets of an older adult are used illegally or improperly.

Elders are often targeted by scammers. These fraudsters use a combination of three tactics: secrecy, urgency, and emotional response to trick their victims out of their savings. For example, a common scam affecting elders involves a caller pretending to be a grandchild in trouble. The fraudster states that that he has been arrested and may even put another individual on the phone who pretends to be an attorney. The “attorney” tells the victim not to tell the “grandchild’s” parents and to purchase gift cards or send cash immediately for bail.

An even more disturbing aspect of financial exploitation is that although scammers are undoubtedly a threat, an elder is more likely to be exploited by an individual they know such as an adult child, grandchild, or personal care assistant. Examples of this include the theft or improper use of an elder’s debit card, stolen and forged checks, and withholding or theft of their government benefits.

One of the best ways we can all protect loved ones from becoming victims of exploitation is to simply be involved and do the following:

• Call to check in
• Ask if they need help
• Tell them about scams targeting elders
• Stop by for a visit

More information about elder abuse and scams:

• Protect our communities from scams
• World Elder Abuse Awareness Day Fact Sheet