Thursday, November 10, 2011

New National "Hotline" Set Up for Fraud

A new national hotline for seniors and adult children of the elderly [starts today} November 10th to deal with one of America's biggest fraud problems: the estimated one out of every five citizens over the age of 65 who have been victimized by a financial swindle. Of particular concern are seniors with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) who can perform most daily functions, but have trouble or become confused when it comes to managing their finances.

The toll-free hotlines will address questions and offer free advice in the following key areas:

General Finance Questions 888-227-1776. Callers are encouraged to dial into this number to speak with an expert from the Financial Planning Association about their family financial security.

Medical Questions 888-303-0430. Callers to this number can get advice from health care professionals about medical issues such as mild cognitive impairment that can impact an older person's ability to make wise and safe financial decisions and can increase their vulnerability to elder financial abuse and exploitation.

Financial Abuse Questions 888-303-3297. Callers to this number will speak with an adult protective services (APS) professional about elder financial abuse and strategies for keeping themselves or older loved ones independent.

Full Press Release and Source;
Stopping Elderly Fraud Cold: States, Doctors, Financial Planners, Others to Launch National Hotline November 10th to Fight Swindlers Targeting Older Americans

3 comments:

Thelma said...

My thought exactly!

Beware this new hotline! It's managed buy professionals who may be looking for business.

Connie said...

What if the system is the abuser? Do they act on those complaints?

StandUp said...

I think there are times when the only option is to call a hotline such as this and hope they'll help. But for the most part, it's better to handle problems without involving an outside source.