ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
Spotting and Reporting Elder Abuse
Knowing the Signs of Abuse
Many states, California included, have what are known as “mandatory reporter of elder abuse.” Certain people, generally doctors, police, social workers, and other who are likely to be involved in elders lives, are required to report to Adult Protective Services and other agencies if they suspect that a senior they are in contact with has been abuse physically or financially.
There’s just one problem with that: the average person, and even the average doctor, police officer, or social worker, often has trouble spotting the less obvious signs of elder abuse. This is especially true of financial abuse, which relatively few people fully understand or know how to spot. Our San Mateo elder abuse attorneys discuss what to watch out for, and how to prevent financial elder abuse.
How to Catch Financial Abusers
Unlike physical abuse, which leaves obvious signs such as bruises or malnutrition, financial abuse takes place behind the scenes, and even seniors with little or no memory issues may not realize that they are being swindled. Seniors may be hesitant to discuss their financial situation, and even less willing to reveal that they’ve been tricked. Sometimes, it doesn’t become clear what’s going on until life savings have been drained and the perpetrator has cleared out. All of these factors make it necessary for relatives and friends to try to stay involved in the lives of the seniors they are close to, and to try to advise and steer seniors who are at risk for being taken advantage of.
One common type of financial abuse that often flies under the wire is committed by financial institutions and brokers, through the sale of abusive financial products. While some may see a senior with whole life insurance and annuities as being well-situated financially, many of these products actually drain senior’s savings, lock them into poor investments, and may end up with them out of their homes and penniless.
What Seniors and Family Can Do
In cases of elder abuse, the first and best line of defense is always making sure you stay in touch with those closest to you. Seniors who are isolated are more likely to become victims of both physical and financial abuse, and having a large and strong safety net can stop abusers in their tracks. Sometimes, though, it’s too late, and a scammer or unscrupulous broker has already taken advantage of a senior. In those cases, contacting a San Mateo elder abuse attorney to discuss options if the best bet.
Some of the major annuity and life insurance providers in California are:
- Aviva/Athene/Accordia Life Insurance Company
- Transamerica Life Insurance Company
- John Hancock Life Insurance Company
- Bankers Life Insurance and Casualty company
- Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company
- Midland Life Insurance Company
- North American Company for Life and Health Insurance
- Pacific Life Insurance Company
- Prudential Life Insurance Company
- Genworth Life Insurance Company
- ING USA Annuity and Life Insurance Company
- Lincoln Benefit Life Company
- Metlife/Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
- Unum Life Insurance Company of America
- Voya/Reliastar Life Insurance Company
Contact Us
If you or a loved one has experienced financial elder abuse in California, contact the Evans Law Firm San Mateo financial elder abuse attorney attorneys at (415) 441-8669, or by email at info@evanslaw.com. Our attorneys have experience with complex financial contracts and large insurance companies. We can help guide your case 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.
