Crimes Against Seniors, TRIAD, and more

This concludes my sharing of workshop notes.

What's being done?

In Orange County, they have a system called TRIAD. The following is from their brochure.

History of TRIAD

In 1988, the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), and the National Sheriffs Association (NSA), signed a cooperative agreement to work together to reduce both criminal victimization and unwarranted fear of crime affecting older citizens. The three organizations agreed that sheriffs, police chiefs, prominent and involved senior citizens, and TRIAD, working together, could devise improved methods for reducing crimes against the elderly and enhance the delivery of law enforcement and social services to elders. This, they agreed, is true community policing for the aging population – a group that appreciates, respects and supports law enforcement.

Why is TRIAD needed? Older Americans comprise the most rapidly growing segment of the population. One in every eight citizens is already age 65 or older, and 25% of them live alone! These are our most vulnerable citizens! It is expected that by the year 2025, one out of four Orange County residents will have reached the age of 60. Increased life expectancy is leading to new issues and problems for the criminal justice system as most communities experience a dramatic increase in the number of older persons. Since Florida continues to be one of the three leading retirement destinations in the country, local numbers will far surpass those of most other states. The anticipated increase in crimes committed against seniors and the need to provide social services to victims, demands that Orange County take steps now, to create a network addressing those issues before the number of elders reaches its peak.

One Florida county has created a 'senior friendly' courtroom. They're told what to expect in the hopes that if they're not intimidated, they'll follow through with the process.

Some features: Ramps create easy access for anyone using walkers or wheelchairs. The walls are painted a calming green. Big screen tv's let them see what's going on.

A new program called "Senior Fit" is designed to make sure seniors are safer behind the wheel. They're checked out to make sure they're using their seatbelts and they're adjusted correctly. That they're not too close to the airbag. That their seats are high enough to see over the wheel, since many seniors drive larger cars thinking they're safer. The program doesn't sell any adaptive equipment, but it does let the seniors know where they can obtain it if they need it.

Another program that's not really targeted at seniors, but I found very interesting, is "Combat Auto Theft." Most car thefts take place between 1 and 5 AM. If you aren't normally on the road at that hour, you can sign up for a special decal, and if the cops see your car on the road, they've got your permission to pull it over for an investigative stop. If you do happen to be driving, you merely prove who you are, but it someone's taken your car, with this program, it's more likely to be recovered.

I hope some of my posts over the last week have been useful and informative.

Crimes Against Seniors - Part 3

What I'm reading: Contest entries

What I'm writing: More chapter 24 -- found out my foolproof scheme to keep my hero and heroine under the radar was too foolproof. Time to do more research.

More about Crimes Against Seniors:

Why seniors are attractive targets for con artists

Many have a nest egg
Less likely to report a fraud because they don't know where to go, or they're too embarrassed at being conned. They fear they will lose their independence.
Sometimes it's hard to remember precise details
Products and services used in the cons designed to appeal to that age group: health care products, health care services, and retirement investments.

Common scams - and these are not just for seniors. Anyone can be a victim.

Identity theft
Health Insurance fraud
Home repair schemes
Foreign lottery/sweepstakes fraud
Advance fee/credit card frauds
Investment fraud
Charity schemes

Avoid being victimized:

Shred credit card receipts and old bank statements
Close unused credit card or bank accounts
Don't give out personal information via the phone, mail, or Internet unless YOU initiated the contact
Never respond to an offer you don't understand
Talk over investments with a trusted friend, family member or financial advisor
(but lets not forget that 86% of senior abuse comes from family, so 'trusted' is the operative word here)
Require everything in writing
Don't pay in advance for services.

Another trend: Criminals targeting seniors are increasingly located outside the US, making it difficult for American law enforcement to track them down.

More details, with descriptions of how each of the scams work, and specific advice for avoiding being taken are given at the FBI's website I posted last week. I'll repeat the link here.

Civilian Police Academy - Seniors 2

Yesterday I mentioned that 86% of abuse comes from family members. It appalled me to learn how many seniors are impoverished by their own children who explain the importance of being able to help with finances, etc., and once they have access to the accounts, go on to take the money for themselves. Or… child #1 is a responsible caregiver and aide. But he has a sibling who sees him as 'favored' by the parent. Child #2 fears that child #1 will be the one to inherit. So, child #2 calls the authorities and tips them that child #1 is exploiting the poor, unsuspecting parents. Often, it works.

Today, more of a focus on scams.

Again, people's trusting natures are at the root of why most of these scams work. We heard the story of one woman who was self-sufficient, active, and volunteered 30 hours a week in her community. As I said yesterday, not a stereotypical addle-brained elderly woman. However, because she trusted three young ladies who approached her in the supermarket, she ended up being in fear for her life. Initially, after winning her confidence with 'icebreaking' chatter, they told her they had a lot of money in foreign currency, and they wanted to count it before taking it to the bank. She agreed to let one of them sit in the backseat of her car and count the cash. From there, she agreed to write them a check for some advance money. Her bank knew her and wouldn't cash the check for her, knowing she didn't have a lot of money in her account. (She had $4000). By now, these women had convinced her to try another bank. As things went downhill, our victim now found herself being driven all over town. Two men had joined the entourage. She ended up someplace where they did cash her check, which was for $6000. She lost everything.

Another consideration: in addition to losing money, when she couldn't pay her bills, her electricity was shut off and all the rest of the nightmares that go along with not having any money. She developed "curable dementia" which is a dementia triggered by things such as dehydration, improper medications, poor nutrition, stress, etc. So now, she's got competency issues as well.

Side note—personal experience on the dementia: my 90 year-old mother-in-law recently fell and broke her wrist. The fall was due to breaks in her spine, which meant her back wasn't supporting her properly. This woman lived in a 3^rd floor walkup, did crossword puzzles in ink, and was very much in charge of her faculties. However, she ended up in a rehab center, on strong pain meds, with bladder and bowel infections, and although nobody was exploiting her, the hospital staff insisted that because she was 90, her deteriorating mental state wasn't unusual. It took a lot of insisting, and a lot of patience, but about 4 months later, she's living in an assisted living center, back to her old self, and complaining about the 103 year old woman at her lunch table who's 'deaf as a post'.

Another popular scam right now: Jury Duty. You get a phone call from someone identifying herself as the clerk of the courts. You've missed jury duty and there's a severe penalty for that. You claim you never got a notice. The "clerk" says, "Let's clear this up, because if there's an error, we certainly don't want to bother you. Give me your Social Security Number so I can verify we have the right Mary Jones." After the victim does that, the clerk then offers to take care of the fine right then and now over the phone. "All I need is your credit card number, and it'll all be fine." Good-bye identity.

Or, people want to get into your house. A couple of scams for that. Nice woman rings the doorbell with a 3 year old in tow. She's been looking for an address for the last half hour, and can't find it, and her daughter really needs to use the bathroom. The victim escorts the pair to the bathroom. The child knows to stay in the bathroom until Mom comes back. Meanwhile, Mom has gone through enough of the house and taken valuables.

Another: Official looking people say they have to spray the yard for bugs, or to mark utility lines, etc. They don't want to simply show up in the yard, even though they're permitted to do so, so why don't you escort us. The victim does, and the scammers are busy spraying liquid back and forth. "Ooops. We got some on you. We're so sorry. Quick, let's go inside and wash this off, because it's dangerous." They're in your house. One offers the first aid, and while you're worrying about what the chemical might be doing to you, the other is helping himself to your stuff. Often, these folks have backup in the car who help them collect their booty.

Do yourself and those you care about a favor and check the FBI website.

Other "facts" from Wednesday's class. It takes 3 full time employees to process all the paperwork involved in one person's Social Security benefits. What happens as the segment of our population eligible for SS outnumbers those in the workforce by about 3 to 1? The nation is getting older. Who's going to run it?

If someone throws a spark plug at your car window, the glass goes both inward and outward. Didn't know that. Watch out for people kicking tires in parking lots. They're testing for car alarms.

In our area, the patrol deputies, who are usually in their 20's, are being trained on how to recognize typical behavior pattens of seniors who may have wandered off, and to spot senior abuse. At the moment, those who investigate child abuse also investigate senior abuse.

On Monday, I'll share some ways to protect yourself.