ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
Caregivers and Financial Elder Abuse
Keep Checks, Credit and ATM Cards, Valuables and Important Papers in a Safe Place
Caregiver Arrested for Writing Checks to Herself
In-home caregivers have access to a senior’s identity, valuables, credit cards, bank accounts and important papers unless you keep them out of reach and make sure that a caregiver has nothing whatsoever to do with an elderly’s persons finances. In a case reported just this week[1], police arrested a caregiver who wrote a total of $18,480 in checks to herself off an elderly widower’s checking account. The Marin and California elder abuse attorneys at Evans Law Firm, Inc. know how devastating financial elder abuse like this can be for an elderly person. We represent seniors and their loved ones victimized by caregiver theft and abuse. If you or someone you know is a victim of financial elder abuse in Marin County or elsewhere in California, call us today at 415-441-8669, and we can help.
In the recent case, authorities reported that the caregiver had the victim sign blank checks that she would later fill out. She made the checks out to herself and altered the amount on checks. A long-time friend of the victim alerted deputies to the possible abuse, and deputies went to the victim’s residence and found the discrepancies in the checks altered by the caregiver and made out to herself. The caregiver faces charges of financial elder abuse by a caregiver and grand theft embezzlement. The sheriff’s department is looking for possible other victims of the caregiver.
Protecting Yourself or a Senior Loved One From Abuse and Fraud
Protection can never be absolute but there are steps that will significantly reduce the chances of financial elder abuse. Keep valuables and important papers like a Will or Power of Attorney in a secure place, off limits to caregivers and other strangers. Never ever grant a Power of Attorney to a caregiver or show them a trust, Will or other financial papers. Never make them an authorized signer on a bank account or sign a blank check for them. Make an inventory of property in the home. Always run a background check and contact references for any in-home caregiver before hiring them. If you are the loved one of a senior, visit regularly, often unannounced, and review statements, records and the mail. Report suspicions to the police and Marin Adult Protective Services immediately and call qualified elder abuse counsel. While official reporting is important, you should pursue all civil remedies available to senior victims under California elder abuse law. Our lawyers handle elder abuse cases of all varieties and know the remedies, extra damages, and awards of attorneys’ fees and costs to which you or your victimized loved one is entitled. We fight for seniors every day.
Contact Us
If you or a loved one been the victim of elder abuse in Marin or elsewhere in California, contact Ingrid M. Evans and the other Evans Law Firm elder abuse attorneys at (415) 441-8669, or by email at <a href=”mailto:info@evanslaw.com”>info@evanslaw.com</a>. We can help guide your case through investigation, discovery, through a jury trial or toward an equitable settlement. We handle cases involving physical and financial elder abuse, qui tam and whistleblower law, nursing home abuse, whole life insurance and universal life insurance, and indexed, variable, and fixed annuities.
[1] Evans Law Firm, Inc. was not involved in the case in any way.
