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(Part 2 of a 3-part series)

JACKSON – Older adults can be victims of several kinds of abuse, but financial abuse is one of the more common ways to cause harm.

The Adult Services division of Northampton County Department of Social Services (DSS) held an Elder Abuse Awareness event on May 29 to help people learn more about how to identify, prevent, and report abuse.

Darrell Rowe, a detective with the Northampton County Sheriff’s Office, spoke mainly about examples of financial abuse, and what people should do if they fall victim to scams.

Elder exploitation is one form of abuse where someone improperly or illegally uses resources for their own advantage. Some examples include a person stealing money or possessions, hoarding checks, using debit/credit cards without permission, and taking benefits.

Rowe said he’d seen this kind of abuse play out before with a person who was living in a local nursing home. Their family member was receiving checks, which were supposed to pay for the person’s stay in the facility, but instead was keeping the money for himself.

But financial abuse isn’t always perpetrated by family members. Strangers can also try to trick older people and steal their money.

Rowe gave another example about a home repair scam he had investigated in the past.

In that scam, a person goes to the home of an older adult – usually a widow who lives alone – and poses as a home inspector. If the imposter convinces the homeowner to let him inspect the residence, he will come up with a fake problem – such as a termite infestation causing floor damage – and then suggest someone he knows to come fix the problem. The “repairmen” then come to fix the nonexistent problem, asking for some of the money up front. They pretend to fix the issue, get the rest of the money, and then leave.

Many scams, however, are conducted by phone or email these days.

“We all know with the advent of internet and computers, scams have just exploded,” Rowe continued. “These people will come up with any way possible to separate you from your money.”

A common phone scam is a person who calls an older adult, claiming that their grandchild is in jail and needs money for bail. These people often have information about the grandchild, making it seem like a legitimate call.

But Rowe cautioned people not to give up the money right away, especially while upset and worried about the situation. He explained that a simple call to the grandchild in question or other family members can verify that the original call was a scam.

Other frequent scams include phone calls or text messages threatening legal action if something, such as your taxes, is not paid immediately. Rowe reminded people that the IRS does not call people by phone.

Rowe said that financial abuse occurs when older adults are taken advantage of for being too trusting, and sometimes they are reluctant to report what happened because they don’t want family members to think they can’t take care of themselves.

He encouraged people to look out for each other to help avoid these issues.

“You need to be involved with your family and friends,” he explained. “We’re a community. If those people don’t have any help, we have to help them. That’s our responsibility as a family member, as a friend, as law enforcement, as DSS.”

He also encouraged people to make a report to law enforcement or to DSS if they’re unsure about a potential scam, and he emphasized that they should do it before sending any money. Oftentimes, it’s difficult to recover any lost money at all.

Rowe gave an overview of what the process is like when you report a scam to law enforcement. First, the dispatcher will ask several questions about the situation, and then law enforcement will arrive to begin investigating.

“Provide us with every detail you can,” he continued. “The more you can tell us, the more we can do.”

After that, the officer will make a report and the case will be assigned to an investigator. He reminded people that it may take some time during the investigation phase, and asked people to remain patient.

Rowe wrapped up his presentation by sharing some general tips to avoid elder abuse.

Those tips remind people to seek independent advice, stay active in the community to develop a circle of people you trust, send and open your own mail, don’t give out personal information over the phone, don’t share personal information with unknown sources, don’t answer calls and emails you don’t recognize, be careful what you share on social media, and make reports to DSS or law enforcement when necessary.

Next in the series: Understanding the causes of abuse and seeking solutions.