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From the U.S. Postal Service to private senior centers, nationwide efforts to combat elder abuse have come back into focus across the United States after World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, according to a US publication.
International campaign
In its 18th year, the international campaign is observed worldwide every year on June 15. The United Nations has globally themed this year’s World Elder Abuse Awareness Day as “Older Persons in Emergencies,” but in the United States, much of the focus is on financial scams against the United States’ senior citizens, including a federal crackdown on what are called money mules.
Money mules use a range of fake claims—from false promises of companionship to made-up emergencies involving loved ones—to dupe the elderly into sending money to fraudsters. They typically operate in countries outside the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, one out of 10 Americans over the age of 65 experience some form of elder abuse.
In May, as part of a multi-agency investigation led by the DOJ, FBI, Homeland Security, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service, federal officials shut down more than 3,000 money mule operations in the country.
Grandparent scam
In one case, which federal officials dubbed the “grandparent scam,” 11 men from the Dominican Republic and five people living in the New York area were indicted on charges of defrauding elderly Americans out of millions of dollars. One of the tricks they are accused of using is to contact grandparents and tell them one of their grandchildren had been arrested and that they needed to send bail money right away to get them out of jail. U.S. senior citizens who have fallen prey to call center scams have been tricked into emptying their retirement accounts and even signing over the deeds to their homes.
