Do Not Become a Victim of Elder Abuse!
By Pat Gatling, Attorney and LiLY board member
Did you know that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has a dedicated group of Assistant District Attorneys and Investigators who prosecute individuals who engage in elder abuse. Elder abuse is defined by the District Attorney as “any crime or violation committed against a victim who is 60 years of age or older may be considered elder abuse.”
Examples of elder abuse prosecuted in Manhattan are as follows:
– Domestic abuse or neglect at the hands of a family member or caregiver.
– Financial exploitation committed by a family member or relative, home aide, stranger or ‘professional’.
– Abuse of a power of attorney by someone entrusted by the elder to act as a fiduciary.
A fiduciary is someone who manages an elder’s money or property for their benefit not the fiduciary’s benefit.
Protection against senior fraud and elder abuse can be achieved by staying in communication with an impartial third party. Reach out to others for advice and guidance if you are unsure about your situation.
Seniors can do the following to protect themselves from becoming a victim of abuse:
– Do not give out any of your personal information on the telephone to any caller. If you receive a telephone call from someone purporting to be from a government agency, tell them to call back when there is someone with you who can verify the caller’s identification. Callers may sound official and very nice, but they could be scammers even if the caller claims to be from a medical facility or Social Security. Do not engage in any conversation – just hang up!
– Do not open any emails on your computer or telephone from anyone that you do not know. If you do not know the sender than do not open the email.
– Do not respond to any official looking letter before having it verified by someone you trust. Remember just because a letter may look official does not mean that it is official. Have someone you trust verify the organization and the individual who signature appear as the sender of the correspondence.
– Do not verify any personal information with anyone on the telephone or via email. Information such as your home address, children names, Medicare/Healthcare or Social Security is very useful for scammers.
If you have any questions or concerns about protecting yourself from abuse, please call staff members at LiLY and they can put you in touch with an attorney.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has an Elder Abuse Hotline: 212–335–9007.
Call 911 if you are being threatened.
You can learn more here: https://www.nyc.gov/assets/dca/downloads/pdf/consumers/Tips–for–OlderAdults–English.pdf