Financial elder abuse continues to proliferate, especially in wealthy pockets of the country like Monterey County, Carmel, Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach. This despite the expansion of the Department of Justices Transnational Elder Fraud Strike Force, which had been limited to six regional offices until late last year when they went to 20. Federal prosecutors in those offices are dedicating additional resources to stop fraud against older people, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian Boynton told AARP Bulletin. A report from the AARP found that the rate of financial exploitation of older Americans more than doubled since the COVID-19 pandemic began. “This kind of behavior is just despicable,†U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in an interview with AARP. “The [DOJ’s] Civil Division is doing everything to fight against it.â€
