As an owner of a Home Care Organization serving senior citizens, I hate to see them being taken advantage of and abused. Unfortunately, on the Monterey Peninsula this is all too common.
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As an owner of a Home Care Organization serving senior citizens, I hate to see them being taken advantage of and abused. Unfortunately, on the Monterey Peninsula this is all too common.
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AARP The Magazine recently ran an article about financial elder abuse, which, unfortunately, is often done by a family member. Liz Loewy, former chief of the Elder Abuse Unit of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and now chief operating officer of a financial-monitoring company EverSafe said these crimes are all too prevalent. Sadly, many cases go unreported. A study of New York residents found that only 1 in 44 elder abuse cases were reported to authorities. “They may start out helping a parent, with good intentions, and then, after the parent exhibits signs of diminished capacity, start diverting funds,†Lowey said. “It often starts small, then progresses into ‘I wrote a few checks to pay for Johnny’s college. l always said she wanted to help with tuition.’ Or beyond that, home improvement or a new car,†she said. If you believe that you are witnessing elder abuse, please call Adult Protective Services. Unfortunately, with the wealth on the Monterey Peninsula residents of Carmel, PG and Pebble Beach are often targeted.
There was a sad story in The New York Times recently about how some fundraisers—including many politicians—trick people (particularly senior citizens) into donating more than they want to. The story profiled Steve Vaughn, who started to go through his fathers bank statement after he died and was shocked to see 400 donations totaling more than $11K over just a four month period. There were donations to Donald J. Trump, Mitch McConnell, Tim Scott, Steve Scalise and many others.  There were notes with the bank statements showing the 90-year old had repeatedly try to dispute the charges with his credit card company—all to no avail. Here is how the scam works. Fundraisers will call you and ask you for a donation and once you agree, they will enter them into the system as a recurring payment. Instead of taking a fixed amount, say $100, out of your account, they will take out $100 every month or sometimes every week. They are hoping people aren’t diligent about going over their bank statements, so pay attention! Many of them are targeting high-income areas of Monterey County like Carmel, Pacific Grove & Pebble Beach.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/26/us/politics/recurring-donations-seniors.html
There was a sad story in The New York Times recently about how some fundraisers—including many politicians—trick people (particularly senior citizens) into donating more than they want to. The story profiled Steve Vaughn, who started to go through his fathers bank statement after he died and was shocked to see 400 donations totaling more than $11K over just a four month period. There were donations to Donald J. Trump, Mitch McConnell, Tim Scott, Steve Scalise and many others.  There were notes with the bank statements showing the 90-year old had repeatedly tried to dispute the charges with his credit card company—all to no avail. Here is how the scam works. Fundraisers will call you and ask you for a donation and once you agree, they will enter them into the system as a recurring payment. Instead of taking a fixed amount, say $100, out of your account, they will take out $100 every month or sometimes every week. They are hoping people aren’t diligent about going over their bank statements, so pay attention!
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/26/us/politics/recurring-donations-seniors.html
AARP The Magazine recently ran an article about financial elder abuse, which, unfortunately, is often done by a family member. Liz Loewy, former chief of the Elder Abuse Unit of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and now chief operating officer of a financial-monitoring company EverSafe said these crimes are all too prevalent. Sadly, many cases go unreported. A study of New York residents found that only 1 in 44 elder abuse cases were reported to authorities. “They may start out helping a parent, with good intentions, and then, after the parent exhibits signs of diminished capacity, start diverting funds,†Lowey said. “It often starts small, then progresses into ‘I wrote a few checks to pay for Johnny’s college. I always said she wanted to help with tuition.’ Or beyond that, home improvement or a new car,†she said. If you believe that you are witnessing elder abuse, please call Adult Protective Services. Unfortunately, with the wealth on the Monterey Peninsula residents of Carmel, PG and Pebble Beach are often targeted.
Although anyone can be a victim of the many scams that criminals are carrying out now, data from the Federal Trade Commission shows that consumers age 80 and older are far more likely to be scammed by phone and lose the most money, a median of $1,250. “Even if you do everything perfectly, you can still be susceptible to fraud,†Shameka Walker, a fraud and identity theft program manager at the FTC, told Kiplinger’s Retirement Report. Most scammers are hacking in to find your email address and hawking you products that you may have been searching for. Other popular scams are selling fake COVID-19 vaccines and PPE equipment to protect against the virus. Seniors living in Carmel, Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach are particularly vulnerable as these crooks target high-income areas.
There was a story in USA Today about a woman who fell for the latest scam and lost $190. While setting up her new Roku device, a message flashed on the TV screen telling her to call an 800 number to activate service. When she called the 800 number, they offered her a lifetime full service plan for about $190, which she signed up for. Months later, the person that she had spoke to on the 800 number called her and threatened her if she didn’t give another $190. At this point she realized it was a scam. How her smart TV was infiltrated with software having her call scammers remains a mystery. However, scammers continue to target those on the Monterey Peninsula since areas like Carmel, Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach have a much higher net worth than the average household. Be on the lookout!
There was a story in USA Today about a woman who fell for the latest scam and lost $190. While setting up her new Roku device, a message flashed on the TV screen telling her to call an 800 number to activate service. When she called the 800 number, they offered her a lifetime full service plan for about $190, which she signed up for. Months later, the person that she had spoke to on the 800 number called her and threatened her if she didn’t give another $190. At this point she realized it was a scam. How her smart TV was infiltrated with software having her call scammers remains a mystery. However, scammers continue to target those on the Monterey Peninsula since areas like Carmel, Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach have a much higher net worth than the average household. Be on the lookout!
An FBI report said that Americans were victimized by cybercriminals at a record rate last year, a result of so many people being stuck at home and in front of their consumers. Total consumer losses to online thieves in 2020 surpassed $4.2 billion, with almost half of that amount lost to those over 50 years old. Unfortunately, since there is so much wealth in Monterey County—in Carmel, Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach in particular—seniors here are disproportionately targeted. Be suspicious anytime someone you don’t know calls or emails you. (AARP Bulletin May 21, P6).
AARP The Magazine recently ran an article about financial elder abuse, which, unfortunately, is often done by a family member. Liz Loewy, former chief of the Elder Abuse Unit of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and now chief operating officer of a financial-monitoring company EverSafe said these crimes are all too prevalent. Sadly, many cases go unreported. A study of New York residents found that only 1 in 44 elder abuse cases were reported to authorities. “They may start out helping a parent, with good intentions, and then, after the parent exhibits signs of diminished capacity, start diverting funds,†Lowey said. “It often starts small, then progresses into ‘I wrote a few checks to pay for Johnny’s college. lways said she wanted to help with tuition.’ Or beyond that, home improvement or a new car,†she said. If you believe that you are witnessing elder abuse, please call Adult Protective Services. Unfortunately, with the wealth on the Monterey Peninsula residents of Carmel, PG and Pebble Beach are often targeted.