Elder financial exploitation: Third party techniques. June 25th, 2018 Slidell, Louisiana
Presented by Paul Greenwood, Newly retired Deputy District Attorney, San Diego County, California
Watch for an explosion of elder financial abuse cases
The fight against senior scams Financial abuse is now officially a U.S. publichealth concern. Inside the movement to get it under control and what s slowing it down. 09/27/2017 05:01 AM EDT The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention might be best known for its efforts to combat obesity, or Zika, or the H1N1 flu virus. But last year, it drew new attention to a hazard that doesn t sound like a disease at all. The hazard is senior financial abuse, meaning the theft of older people s resources by someone they trust. Alarmed by the growing cost of the problem and the lack of a clear strategy to combat it, the CDC included in a first-of-its-kind report a definition for what constitutes the financial exploitation of old people. It includes fraud, breach of personal trust, poor investment advice, or improper use of power of attorney.
Scams and scammers
Taking advantage of easily accessible ways to transfer funds with little risk of being caught
All that glitters: As elder abuse rates soar, some fell for phony jewel scam Peter Rowe
Warning signs..
Changes in spending habits.. Trips to the financial institution Withdrawing cash.. Buying gift cards, making wire transfers
The favorite method of transfer for the scammers
Third party agents Prepaid debit cards such as Green Dot Moneygram Western Union Gift cards such as itunes & stores [Target, Best Buy]
One of the most common scams right now..
The sweetheart scam
The hook
The charm offensive..
The con knows exactly how to find & target the victim s vulnerability
The victim Often recovering from a loss.. Appreciates the attention.. Has $$$$
An e-mail I received a week ago..
Hi! My mom Marilyn is 75 single and has been talking with a guy who is scamming her, but she still believes he s real. She sent him 3k and was getting ready to send him $125k. His name is Dante coolman they have never met. He is supposedly in a hospital in Cape Town South Africa and can t get out. My mom lives in Newport Beach, her phone number is 949-856. Thanks for your help, Meghan
So she doesn t have a cell phone so I got the information. 3 transactions to table view Cape Town South Africa. Sent to Bambisa matshayana 1st transaction for $900 sent from wallmart ref #84356231 on 5/14 2nd $1000 on 6/2 ref # 79307687 3rd $1000 6/20 ref# 36583806 Is there anyway to get the money back or trap him? He keeps calling my mom trying to get more. He has lied saying he s being held hostage. She wants to talk to you. Thanks for your help!
Sweepstakes scam
But we did catch the next one
Mr. Greenwood: I am a retired catholic priest and former Army Chaplain. I was recently involved in a "fraud" by a gentleman who claimed to be an attorney for the Publishers Clearance House. I was sent a notice that I was the grand prize winner of $1,600,000.00 and that i must follow the directions given me in order to receive the prize. After many telephonic calls and assurances I was directed to first send a check of $41,000.00 which would cover all the federal and state taxes incurred. I envisioned the financial help I would be giving to a high school and church because of paying just a rather small sum for the full prize amount. How naive I was. After weeks of communication and my final attempt to finalize the deal, I realized that the check I was mailed was a fake and the phone number I tried calling was "no longer in operation". I lost half my life savings and probably will never recover the amount; but I would do anything to prevent this happening to anyone else. I would be happy to meet with you if at all possible.
The grandma scam...
Crooks who use mules or middle man
The IRS scam
The computer scam
So what is the best course of action?
Insist on making a police report
If mail was used in the scam, contact the US Postal Inspectors
Also try contacting the fraud department of the third party such as Apple, Moneygram, Western Union, Green Dot etc
Then contact FTC.. the scam may be part of bigger network
Then contact your nearest US Attorney s Office
The Elder Abuse Prevention & Prosecution Act 2017
Every Federal judicial district will have an assistant US Attorney serve as Elder Justice coordinator
The Act provides for training
on how to conduct investigations, address evidentiary issues, how to interact with victims
And the Act calls for data to be collected on elder abuse cases that have been prosecuted..
In the past 2 years federal prosecutors have been scoring some rare victories over these scammers
Jamaican Lottery Fraud Defendant Found Guilty of Conspiracy to Commit Fraud and Other Charges Sanjay Ashani Williams, of Montego Bay, Jamaica, was found guilty on charges of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud or mail fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit international money laundering and 45 counts of wire fraud (counts two through 44), after a six-and-a-half-day-jury trial in federal court, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Christopher C. Myers for the District of North Dakota.
Dozens of Individuals Indicted in Multimillion-Dollar Indian Call Center Scam Targeting U.S. Victims HOUSTON - Today, an indictment was unsealed charging a total of 61 individuals and entities for their alleged involvement in a transnational criminal organization that has victimized tens of thousands of persons in the United States through fraudulent schemes that have resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in losses. In connection with the scheme, 20 individuals were arrested today in the United States and 32 individuals and five call centers in India were charged for their alleged involvement. An additional U.S.-based defendant is currently in the custody of immigration authorities.
Two More Plead Guilty in Multi- Million Dollar India-Based Call Center Scam Targeting U.S. Victims HOUSTON A Texas man and an Indian national have each pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges this week for their respective roles in liquidating and laundering victim payments generated through a massive telephone impersonation fraud and money laundering scheme perpetrated by Indiabased call centers. Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez of the Southern District of Texas made the announcement along with Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department s Criminal Division, Executive Associate Director Peter T. Edge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Inspector General J. Russell George of the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) and Inspector General John Roth of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security - Office of Inspector General (DHS-OIG).
Please feel free to contact me: Paul Greenwood 858-386-6500 pgreendda@gmail.com