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With graying population, rising concerns of scams targeting senior citzens

By Callie Ginter, The Keene Sentinel, N.H. on

Published in Senior Living Features

Bob Acheson's not a guy who embarrasses easily. He took off his Bretwood golf hat to reveal a bald head to prove it.

But Acheson, 82, of Keene, said that this year he fell victim to a problem many of his fellow seniors are often too embarrassed to report: financial exploitation.

Elder financial exploitation is the illegal or improper use of income or assets of a senior citizen.

According to a 2011 MetLife study of elder financial abuse, as much as $2.9 billion per year is stolen from seniors.

And with a rapidly graying population, the problem's a rising concern.

As the baby boomers reach their golden years, some of the highest per-capita concentrations of older residents can be found in the New England states, according to Census data.

The Granite State has the second oldest population in the nation with a median age of 42.8-years-old, according to 2015 U.S. Census estimates. And by 2025, the state's senior population -- defined as those 65 years and older -- is expected to double to 383,087, according to Cheryl S. Steinberg, the Senior Law Project director in Concord.

Financial abuse often takes the shape of a phone call, Internet phishing, someone posing as a salesperson, identity theft, charity scams, investment schemes, and IRS or Medicare scams.

The Federal Trade Commission's Consumer Sentinel Network database, which collects consumer complaints and makes them available to law enforcement, contained 123,757 fraud complaints in 2013 from victims who had identified themselves as aged 60 and over, according to the PEW Charitable Trusts.

Acheson said he was scammed two, almost three times since May.

The first time was over the phone when he was activating a credit card. A scammer intercepted the call and claimed to be a TD Bank worker doing a promotion. Acheson trusted the man, believed he worked for his bank, and agreed to give him his credit card information.

He wasn't aware people are capable of intercepting phone calls, and the scammer made two minor charges to his credit card, he said. Luckily, Acheson said his bank reimbursed him.

The second time, he wasn't as fortunate.

A couple of months ago he was Googling when a fake Time Warner Cable notice appeared on his screen. He exited out of the box six times before he clicked on it out of frustration.

"It looked official," Acheson said.

He called the number on the screen, and a man with an accent insisted Acheson needed to buy protection software for his computer, for $399. When Acheson said he didn't want to pay that much, the poser knocked $100 off.

Acheson agreed.

A virtual check appeared on the screen on the scammer's demand. He then knew the man had complete power over his computer, and Acheson turned it off. But the man was still able to pull information from his computer, including banking and email information.

"I don't dare use my computer anymore," Acheson said.

The third time he was almost swindled was another incident over the phone; this time, he knew to hang up.

Although anyone can be financially exploited, senior citizens are often preyed upon because they tend to be more trusting, socially isolated and less Internet-savvy, according to reports.

Acheson admitted he didn't know what scammers are capable of until it happened to him.

"I didn't learn a lot about this until after, and then it was too late,"Acheson said.

"Now I would tell people if any phone number pops up on your computer that you didn't initiate, pull the plug! ... Or if you're on the phone, hang up."

Keene police Lt. Steven C. Tenney Jr. said his department has had its "fair share" of fraud calls -- especially targeting seniors. Tenney speculated seniors aren't as educated about scams and so can be tricked more easily than younger generations, making them easy targets.

Pegg Monahan, executive director at the Keene Senior Center, said she thinks many seniors don't have the technological skills to decipher between what's normal on the computer and what's not.

 

"Over the years, I have heard of many senior scams," Monahan said.

"Probably the most discouraging to hear for many seniors is that officials ask them to go online to get more information about scams or other information," Monahan said. "I think this is particularly cruel, as the most vulnerable don't have computer skills."

Meanwhile, seniors often don't let authorities know they've been scammed, according to Steinberg, the Senior Law Project director.

"It's absolutely true," Steinberg said. "It's a highly under-reported crime."

In fact, according to the National Adult Protective Services Association, only one in 44 cases of financial abuse is reported among elders.

Seniors often don't recognize the exploitation, are threatened, are in fear, are dependent on the perpetrator, or reluctant to get the person in trouble -- especially if it's a relative, according to Steinberg.

They also might be reluctant to say they were scammed for fear of being placed under guardianship or in a long-term care facility, she explained.

Acheson said he didn't feel self-conscious to report his incidents because it brings awareness to the issue. But he empathizes with those who are shy.

"I understand how a lot of them feel," Acheson said. "You don't want people thinking you can't take care of yourself."

Factors that could increase the risk of being exploited is the dependency of the abuser on the victim, and vice versa, and the senior's physical and mental condition, according to Steinberg.

She and Acheson both said senior citizens shouldn't feel embarrassed to report incidents because nobody is immune to the risk of being exploited.

"A lot of people get taken advantage of, and it doesn't mean they're incompetent," Steinberg said.

Last year legislation was passed in New Hampshire to make financial exploitation of an elderly, disabled, or impaired adult a criminal offense. Under RSA 631:9 and RSA 631:10, the sections of the criminal code dealing with assault and related offenses, exploiting a person over the age of 60 for more than $1,500 is a class A felony punishable with possible jail time.

Before the change, financial exploitation was often treated as "civil" or "family" matters, according to the N.H. Bar Association.

The new legislation also gives officers and prosecutors guidelines on what constitutes the crime of financial exploitation, thus supporting efforts to successfully investigate and prosecute offenders, according to the N.H. Bar Association.

Also, in recent months, the N.H. Attorney General has beefed up its resources to prosecute these cases by assigning seasoned lawyer Brandon Garod and victim witness advocate Sunny Mulligan Shea to a newly formed Elder Abuse and Exploitation Unit.

The unit, which is grant-funded, was a "reinstatement" of a similar AG division that existed until 2010 or 2011, said James T. Boffetti, senior assistant attorney general.

The unit takes case referrals from the Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services, an arm of the state's department of Health and Human Services, Boffetti said, and while members of the public can contact the Attorney General's Office, emergency calls ought be directed to Elderly and Adult Services and local police.

Still, Steinberg said, more efforts -- particularly in education -- are needed to keep seniors' finances safe.

"There's still a lot of work to do," she said.

Callie Ginter can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1409 or cginter@keenesentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter @CGinterKS.

(c)2016 The Keene Sentinel (Keene, N.H.)

Visit The Keene Sentinel (Keene, N.H.) at www.sentinelsource.com

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(c) The Keene Sentinel, N.H.

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