New agency will help educate senior citizens on financial abuse
By Nancy Needham nancy@theacorn.com

Thieves who want to take money away from unsuspecting seniors try to make themselves look like ordinary, trustworthy people. If they didn't look sincere, they couldn't be successful at stealing the savings of those who can least afford to lose their money.

Fortunately, Conejo Valley seniors aren't on their own like little lambs waiting for the welldisguised wolves to strike. A watchdog group called Ventura County FAST, which stands for Financial Abuse Specialist Team, has been created to help educate the public.

As a program of Senior Concerns, a nonprofit organization in Thousand Oaks, this watchdog has teeth.

Its 45 volunteers include consultants who represent law enforcement, the district attorney's office, adult protective services, the county counsel for the public guardian's office, Ventura County Superior Court, the FBI and many other agencies and medical and mental health professionals, attorneys, bankers, financial planners and real estate experts.

The groups have joined forces because financial exploitation of seniors is the fastest-growing form of abuse and can be lifethreatening, said Joan Virginia Allen, FAST coordinator.

The group gets together monthly to investigate and resolve cases of financial abuse. They also train those who serve the elderly and dependent adults, draft and review legislation and educate the community.

Every day con artists and scammers talk senior citizens out of their hard-earned money. They do it on the phone, through the mail, on television and at the door. Sometimes these thieves are friends and family members, Allen said.

FAST has created a video to help people spot the most common techniques used to trick seniors out of their money. The 23-minute video is shown on Channel 25. It can also be watched online at www.seniorconcerns.org, under "programs."

The video focuses on five popular scams. In the first one, called the "free lunch," a senior couple gets an invitation in the mail to a free lunch where someone will talk about estate planning, investments or other ways to "protect" their savings. The couple goes to the luncheon and decides to make an appointment with the "nice" gentleman who spoke.

Then a voice of reason is heard, asking them, "What are you thinking?" The voice explains they've been saving for over 30 years and have just met this man an hour ago. When the video replays what they should have done, it shows the couple tearing up the invitation and throwing it away as soon as they get in the mail.

The next scene is about not opening doors to strangers. It suggests calling 911 if someone is insistent about coming in after the resident has told them, through the door, they are not going to open it. Everyone should have a peephole installed, the video advises, so they can see who is on their doorstep without unlocking the door.

Telemarketing is another problem for seniors. Screening calls with voicemail, signing up for the Do Not Call registry or just hanging up on those selling over the phone is suggested. It is also emphatically advised to never give out Social Security numbers or pay money to someone who says, "You have just won a prize- only you have to send us money before we will send it to you."

Seniors must also be wary of home improvement scammers who go door to door with "we are just in the neighborhood"-type stories. Use licensed contractors after considering, comparing and consulting with others.

Not all thieves are strangers. It's not uncommon for those who are stealing from seniors to be family, caregivers, neighbors or trusted friends, said Gregory Totten, district attorney of Ventura County.

Sometimes these people who are close to the seniors rob them by using identity theft. Sometimes they write checks or use existing credit cards. Seniors should keep track of their credit report to make sure no one has illegally taken out a credit card in their name.

A lot of the fraud being perpetrated is related to health insurance and other matters that concern seniors and their financial wellbeing. Anyone who suspects financial exploitation is going on with them or someone they know should report it even though they might feel embarrassed about being scammed, Allen said.

Such crimes can be reported to the Ventura County Sheriff's Department or Adult Protective Services. The District Attorney's Consumer Mediation Unit can also be alerted at (805) 654-3110.

Stopping senior scams Investment scams: Contact SAIF (Seniors Against Investment Fraud) at the California Department of

Corporations (toll-free) at (866) 275-2677

Door-to-door sales/service: Contact

local law enforcement

Telemarketing: Sign up on the Do Not Call

Registry (toll-free) (888) 382-1222

Contractor "deals" on home repair: Contact the

California Contractors State License Board

(toll-free) (800) 321-2752

Credit card/identity theft : Call (toll-free) Experian (888) 397-3742, Equifax (800) 525.6285,

TransUnion (800) 680-7289

Conejo Valley Senior Concerns, Inc., 401 Hodencamp Road, Thousand Oaks, CA

91360 Telephone: (805) 497-0189