ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
Caregivers and Financial Elder Abuse
Keep Checks, Credit and ATM Cards, Valuables and Important Papers in a Safe Place
Accessing Your Bank Accounts
Whenever a stranger is in an elderly person’s home, the senior’s identity, valuables, credit cards, bank accounts and important papers are all at risk. Unscrupulous caregivers strike quickly and it may be some time before the senior or family members realize things are missing. Cash, jewelry, identity information, and important papers can disappear in an instant. In a case reported just this week[1], police arrested a caregiver who allegedly stole three checks and banking information from an elderly disabled woman, and used the bank information to pay her own bills, and made out the three checks to herself for over $18,800. The San Francisco 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 here in San Francisco or elsewhere in California, call us today at 415-441-8669, and we can help.
San Francisco Adult Protective Services reports that reported incidents of financial elder abuse have increased dramatically in the City of San Francisco and the same trend is developing throughout the Bay Area. Seniors can be financially exploited by insurance agents, financial advisors, trustees, persons acting under a Power of Attorney and, as this case illustrates, in-home caregivers. In fact, in-home caregivers are responsible for an alarming number of financial elder abuse cases in our experience.
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. 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 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 San Francisco 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.
