Warning Signs of Financial Elder Abuse or Fraud

elder abuse attorney san jose

Curbing Financial Elder Abuse

Financial elder fraud and abuse occurs when one steals or embezzles money or property that belong to an elder. Unfortunately, there has been an increase in the number of elder abuse cases over the past few years.

In the past, elder abuse was regarded as not looking after an elder despite having been charged with that responsibility. Today, elder abuse takes various forms including trying to effect changes on their will without their knowledge, fake lottery schemes, misuse of credit and ATM cards among others.

Regardless of its form, elder abuse remains a criminal offence as provided by section 368 (d) and 368 (e) of the California Penal Code. Consequently, you should contact a San Jose elder abuse lawyer as soon as you identify any signs of financial mismanagement.

To help curb elder fraud and abuse in California, it is crucial to create awareness of the danger signs. Our elder abuse attorneys explain.

Observe how their relatives are behaving

The National Center on Elder Abuse noted that 90% of the alleged elder abuse cases involve their relatives. This is because relatives can easily gain access to personal documents and accounts. Therefore, it’s not safe to assume that relatives always have the best interest of an elder at heart. If you notice any questionable behavior coming from a relative of the elder, you should contact an elder fraud attorney as they’ll be able to guide you on the appropriate steps that you should take.

Physical challenges that come with age

Most elders experience difficulty in moving from one place to the other or carrying out some tasks. As a result, most of them seek help from various service providers. However, not everyone who walks into their life has good intentions. Some of these people turn out to be untrustworthy and use the opportunity to take advantage of them. They do so by either overstating the prices or tricking them into signing contracts which are not favorable to them. It is advisable that such elders or their relatives should hire San Jose attorneys before signing important documents.

Desertion

As unfortunate as it is, some relatives and friends are not actively involved in the lives of their elders. Most of the elders who are going through such circumstances often feel lonely and abandoned. This opens a window of opportunity to unscrupulous people who take advantage of this situation by befriending them. Spending more time with one’s elders and looking out for new people in their lives is a good way to prevent this form of exploitation.

Ignorance on financial matters

A person who is looking after elders should be suspicious of the possibility of financial exploitation if the elder is unable to recall essential things regarding their finances. Though most elderly people tend to be forgetful, it should not always be assumed that they cannot remember everything. To prevent financial exploitation, an elder fraud attorney should regularly examine their financial records.

Contact Our San Jose Elder Abuse Attorneys for Help

A significant number of victims will not report cases of financial elder abuse. This is usually due to embarrassment or fear. Consequently, if any signs are pointing towards elder abuse, you should take the initiative and contact our San Jose elder abuse attorneys at The Law Office of Farling, Hecht & Davis for help.