It is always disheartening to hear stories about the elderly and disabled being scammed or taken advantage of for their money. The elderly can be vulnerable and more trusting of others, so those with bad intentions prey on them as easy targets. As elder abuse lawyers, we strongly urge you to be careful of who you trust and to be wary of where you leave financial documents and account numbers – do not leave them where strangers can access them.
Elderly Scammed Out of Thousands Over the Phone
A very popular scam in recent years has been to call elderly adults pretending to be a grandchild, asking for money to be wired due to some emergency. This Grandparent Scam has cost people thousands of dollars all over the country. The scam has been around for several years, but it has gotten more elaborate lately. Originally, scammers would call and slowly get details from the victim through the conversation. Now-a-days, the caller will already know detailed information before they make the call. They will immediately identify themselves as a grandchild by name and give other details about their lives in order to increase credibility. Officials are warning everyone, especially the elderly, to never send money to family members or loved ones unless you can be certain you are sending it to the right person. It is easy for predators to access personal information so you must ask more than just basic information.
Floyd Adcock, a 78-year-old man from California, was conned out of almost $3,000 from a man pretending to be his grandson. On November 3 at 10:30 a.m., Adcock answered a phone call from a man saying that he had been in an accident in Mexico and needed $2,900 wired to him. Thinking it was his grandson, Adcock wired the money, costing him $2,988. After the money went through, the elderly man found out that his grandson had never been to Mexico and that he had been scammed out of the money.
Elder Abuse Lawyers in New Jersey and Philadelphia
If your loved one is currently being taken advantage of financially, or they are a resident of a nursing home or care facility and you are worried that the care they are receiving is negligent, abusive, or inadequate, contact the Mininno Law Office for a free case evaluation. You may also call for a free consultation at (856) 833-0600 in New Jersey, or (215) 567-2380 in Philadelphia.