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The U.S. Attorney’s Office is promoting World Elder Abuse Awareness in conjunction with the Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Initiative to help seniors in the Eastern District of Texas avoid falling victim to financial exploitation, announced U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston June 16.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is participating in events through the summer to provide educational programming to seniors, according to the news release.
“Although we prosecute dozens of scammers each year, there are hundreds, if not thousands more we never know about,” said Featherston. “Scammers are particularly skilled at tricking victims, often causing the victim to be embarrassed when they realize they have been duped and not report the crime. By educating our seniors we hope to spare them from this heartache. Preventing this crime is a lot easier than trying to investigate and get back the money!”
If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This U.S. Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim, and identifying relevant next steps.
Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is staffed 10 a.m. through 6 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday-Friday. English, Spanish and other languages are available.