ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
Financial Elder Abuse Comes From All Directions
Financial elder abuse takes many forms and comes from many different directions. Thousands of seniors suffer injury at the hands of people they know; thousands more are victimized by strangers through phone and internet scams. Elder victims lose their life savings, pensions, and homes through these scams and are left struggling to pay bills. Sadly, many are left with little money to pay their monthly bills, have had their utilities shut off for nonpayment, or even lost their homes entirely. The consequences of financial elder abuse in any form and from any corner can be devastating.
The Santa Clara County and California financial elder abuse attorneys at Evans Law Firm, Inc. represent senior victims who have lost money due to scams from strangers and local con artists, phony internet and phone solicitations, or from persons they know such as caregivers, insurance agents and financial advisors, family members or fiduciaries. Whatever the fraud and whoever the perpetrator, our financial elder abuse lawyers pursue all remedies available to victimized seniors under the California Elder Abuse and Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act and other statutes designed to protect California seniors from financial elder abuse. If you or someone you know is the victim of financial elder abuse in Santa Clara County or elsewhere in California, call Evans Law Firm today at 415-441-8669.
Beware of Phone and Internet Scams
Stories from here in California and around the country tell tales of seniors scammed over the phone or through email scams. In one recent case, a senior received a call from a stranger impersonating a police officer who told the senior his grandson was in custody and needed $43,000 to secure his release. The grandfather sent the money and then more when the impersonator called and said more was needed. After all the wires, the senior was left with just $373 in savings. The victim called the police and helped bring the thief to justice. Investigators later discovered the perpetrator was part of an international crime ring defrauding seniors.
Much financial elder abuse strikes closer to home and involves individual criminals not organized crime rings. In another recently reported case, for example, a local home care coordinator convinced an elderly client to change her will and take out a home equity line for the care coordinator’s benefit. In yet another case, an unscrupulous contractor took over $200,000 from a senior for a remodeling job, pocketed the money, and left her home in shambles. The stories of financial elder abuse go on and on. As our population ages, the incidents of financial elder abuse increase as do the types of schemes employed by the abusers.
The takeaway from all these stories is that financial elder abuse can strike anywhere and from pretty much anyone. Isolated seniors are especially vulnerable, so if you have an elderly loved one, stay involved in his or her life. And act when you first suspect abuse. If you live in California and are suspicious that financial elder abuse is occurring to someone you love or have yourself already been victimized, call the experienced financial elder abuse attorneys at Evans Law Firm, Inc., and we can help. While we encourage you to call the authorities as well, always pursue all available remedies with the help of qualified counsel.
Remedies for Victimized Seniors
California leads the nation in protections for seniors against financial elder abuse. The State’s laws afford broad civil remedies to seniors– compensatory damages, the award of mandatory attorneys’ fees and all other remedies otherwise provided by law. These other remedies may include punitive damages and treble damages where the broker is guilty of oppression, fraud, or malice. Seniors are often reluctant to come forward either because they are embarrassed by what has happened to them or because they do not understand their rights under California law. If you are a senior or the loved one of a senior who has been the victim of financial elder abuse, don’t hesitate to come forward. The financial elder abuse attorneys at Evans Law Firm, Inc. can represent you from investigation and filing a complaint and through discovery and trial, and toward a resolution.
Contact Us
If you or a loved one been the victim of financial elder abuse or securities fraud whether in Santa Clara County or anywhere else in California, contact California financial elder abuse attorney Ingrid Evans and the other Evans Law Firm financial elder abuse attorneys at (415) 441-8669, or by email at <a href=”mailto:info@evanslaw.com”>info@evanslaw.com</a>. Our attorneys have experience with all types of financial elder abuse, investment and securities fraud and annuity fraud. We can help guide your case through a bench or 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.
