By Marci Leffler, Adult Protective Services Community Engagement Specialist
Financial Exploitation comes in all shapes and sizes – whether it’s Auntie’s “to good to be true” investment offer, Grandpa’s new “friend” asking for gift cards, or Granny’s grandson using her credit without permission. Exploiters target vulnerable populations like the elderly and individuals with disabilities. And the worst part? It often comes from people they trust.
October is Financial Exploitation Awareness Month and Texas is raising awareness about ways we can help prevent, recognize, and report elderly financial exploitation. Emotional abuse, physical abuse, neglect, and abandonment are frequent forms of elder abuse, but financial exploitation is the fastest growing form of elder abuse. If you would be interested in having a presentation on Financial Exploitation, please contact [email protected]
The people of the Permian Basin have a long tradition of helping our fellow Texans in need. Adult Protective Services (APS), a program of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS), investigated 13,380 “exploitation” cases in Texas (2023). Of those cases 208 were in the Permian Basin.
If you know an elderly or disabled individual who you believe has been a victim of financial exploitation, please make a report to APS by calling 1-800-252-5400, or online at txabusehotline.org.
See how APS works with partners to fight financial abuse in Partnering to Protect: APS’s Forensic Accounting Collaboration.
