ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
Allegations Of Unlawful Use Of Debit Card
Another Caregiver Reports Suspicions To Police
Unauthorized Purchases On Dependent Adult’s Card
The pandemic has greatly increased reported incidents of financial elder or dependent adult abuse here in Contra Costa County and throughout California. Forced isolation as a result of the coronavirus has increased senior and dependent vulnerability to abuse from all directions and has separated seniors from the persons who really do love them and would be closer to them if possible. Adult Protective Services for Contra Costa County reports a large increase in all types of elder and dependent adult abuse cases, but particularly cases of financial abuse and theft from these vulnerable groups. The Contra Costa financial elder and dependent adult abuse attorneys at Evans Law Firm. Inc. represent victims of financial abuse from caregivers or other persons, and pursue all persons responsible, including the owners of caregiver agencies if applicable. Call us today at (415)441-8669 if any senior loved one has suffered any kind of financial elder or dependent adult abuse here in Contra Costa County or elsewhere in California.
Recent Arrest
In one recently reported case[1], police arrested a woman accused of stealing from a disabled, dependent adult for whom she acted as an in-home caregiver. Police charged her with felony theft from a dependent adult and unlawful use of a credit card. The investigation began in 2019 when a different caregiver for the victim called police to report suspicious activity on the victim’s credit card. When police contacted the victim, she told them there were multiple charges on her card that she did not authorize. The police developed evidence that the caregiver in question had allegedly used the victim’s card to make various purchases for the benefit of herself and not the victim. Police obtained a warrant for the caregiver’s arrest a year ago but officers had been unable to locate her. In July 2020 they issued a public plea for information of her whereabouts and eventually found her.
Protecting Elder And Dependent Adults From Abuse
Family involvement in an isolated senior’s or dependent/disabled person’s life is the surest way to prevent financial abuse. In-person contact may still be off-limits if the senior or dependent adult (or you) have not yet been vaccinated. But regular phone calls are important and, better yet, Zoom or Facetime are good ways to communicate if the technology is available. Beyond that, you can also monitor credit cards and bank accounts online and we encourage you to do so. You also may want to redirect mail to your own address so any caregivers or other strangers ina senior or dependent adult’s home do not have access to mail. Also, make sure that financial information like account numbers and Social Security numbers are kept away from a caregiver’s glance. Never, ever grant a power of attorney to a caregiver. Perhaps most important of all, if you suspect anything wrong, do something about it right away. Call the financial dependent adult and elder abuse litigators at Evans Law Firm, Inc.
Contact Us
Ingrid M. Evans and the other Contra Costa financial dependent adult and elder abuse attorneys at Evans Law Firm represent Contra Costa County elder and dependent adults who are victims of any kind of financial exploitation or other abuse. Ingrid and our other attorneys can be reached at (415) 441-8669, or email us at <a href=”mailto:info@evanslaw.com”>info@evanslaw.com</a>.
[1] Evans Law Firm, Inc. was not involved in the case in any way.
