Protecting our Seniors!

Protecting our Seniors – Preventing Scams and Elder Financial Abuse

Earlier this week, the Marin IJ ran an article (https://www.marinij.com/2025/05/20/marin-investigators-accuse-suspect-of-scamming-seniors) highlighting a recent Elder Financial Abuse scam.  The two victims, 78 and 83 years old, were scammed to the tune of almost $100,000.  Fortunately, the perpetrator was caught and the Prosecuting Attorney is fighting for a very high bail.  All of this began with a phishing email seemingly coming from Amazon.

Unfortunately, these sorts of Elder Financial Abuse scams are becoming more and more common.  It is critically important that we all do our part to protect the elderly from this financial exploitation.  There are long laundry lists of what everyone can do to best protect themselves and their financial interests.  Keeping all your information as confidential as possible is paramount.  Use strong passwords, and never divulge them, or your account information.  Use extreme caution when it comes to ANY email regarding anything financial.  If something doesn’t feel right, or if you have become a victim, talk to a trusted family member or friend immediately, and report it to the authorities or APS.

Below are some great resources:
American Bankers Association:  https://www.aba.com/advocacy/community-programs/consumer-resources/protect-your-money/elderly-financial-abuse

Dept. of Financial Protection & Innovation:  https://dfpi.ca.gov/news/insights/preventing-and-reporting-elder-financial-abuse/

CA Dept. of Consumer Affairs:  https://www.dca.ca.gov/cba/consumers/elder-financial-abuse.shtml

Let’s ALL keep our eyes and ears open, and do everything we can to protect the seniors of Marin, Sonoma and Napa!