Businessman Stole Tens of Thousands (Traverse City Record-Eagle - March 29, 2008)
A prominent local businessman helped himself to an elderly German immigrant's finances.

Census Fraud (Consumer Affairs.com - Aug. 23, 2007)
Seniors targeted by mailer asking for information...and credit card numbers.

Elder Abuses (Investment Fraud Lawyer Blog - Feb. 2008)
Stockbrokers and financial advisors often target seniors for "free" investment seminars in hopes of obtaining new business relationships. Many so-called "senior advisors" use misleading professional designations to engender trust.

Gratiot County Commission Warns About Scam (Caregiving.com - Nov. 2007)
Retirees are receiving telephone calls from people misrepresenting themselves as agents of the Social Security Administration asking for banking account information.

IRS Warns of E-mail Scam Soliciting Donations to CA Wildfire Victims (IRS - Nov. 2, 2007)
Taxpayers should be on the lookout for a new e-mail scam that appears to be a solicitation from the IRS and the U.S. government for charitable contributions to victims of the recent Southern California wildfires

Marketers Use Trickery to Evade No-Call Lists (Wall Street Journal- Oct. 26,2007)
Older Americans around the country are getting duped by a seemingly innocuous tactic that can expose them to hard-sell pitches from the insurance industry.

Scams Against Seniors (ScamBusters.org)
A special issue on a few scams that are more often committed against seniors, either because the scam artists will have greater success if they target someone older or because seniors seem to fall for them more often.

Senior Scams (Skepticblog - 2/28/09)
Senior scamming is on the rise. Anyone of any age could be taken in by the nefarious scams taking place across America, but because of their inherent isolation or shame of losing money to these schemes, seniors are even more prone to becoming victims.

The Color of Money (Washington Post - 7/16/09)
Fraud is bad enough, but when you have family members or caregivers who are financially abusing their elderly relatives or patients, that's downright despicable.
Patti's Comments: We should stop scam artists from fleecing everyone - but especially those with disabilities and seniors!

The Gulag of Guardianship (CNN Money)
The legal system that is supposed to protect our frail elderly is a national disgrace. All too often it strips them of their rights and leaves them open to financial abuse.

They Can't Hang Up (Fraud.org)
According to the National Consumers League's National Fraud Information Center, nearly a third of all telemarketing fraud victims are age 60 or older. Studies by AARP show that most older telemarketing fraud victims don’t realize that the voice on the phone could belong to someone who is trying to steal their money.

Utility Bill Refund Email is a Scam (Consumer Affairs.com - Oct. 2007)
Don't fall for this "phishing" scheme that promises a refund, but whose purpose is to steal sensitive information from your computer.

Don't Be Fooled by Bogus Phone Calls (Michigan Supreme Court - Oct. 2007)
Warning re: Scammers posing as court officials seeking confidential information.

Investor Fraud Study Final Report (NASD Investor Education Foundation - May 12, 2006)
A study that investigated the issue of consumer fraud that targets older Americans.

Who's Calling? Can You Recognize a Phone Scam? (FTC)
Explains several deceptive telemarketing schemes, and how you can protect yourself against them.

Elder Consumer Protection Program (Stetson University College of Law)
An educational, informational and instructional resource for knowledge and information about legal matters in the areas of elder consumer protection, elder financial exploitation and elder abuse prevention.

Elder Protection Roundtable (Essex County)
A partnership of law enforcement, healthcare, victim & elder service agencies working together to increase awareness and prevention of elder financial exploitation and fraud.

Fraud.org
Mission is to give consumers the information they need to avoid becoming victims of telemarketing and Internet fraud and to help them get their complaints to law enforcement agencies quickly and easily.

Identity Theft (FTC)
A one-stop national resource to learn about the crime of identity theft. It provides detailed information to help you deter, detect, and defend against identity theft.

OnGuard Online
Provides practical tips from the federal government and the technology industry to help you be on guard against Internet fraud, secure your computer, and protect your personal information.

Report Fraud (U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services - Office of Inspector General)
All HHS and contractor employees have a responsibility to assist in combating fraud, waste and abuse in all departmental programs. As such you are encouraged to report matters involving fraud, waste and mismanagement in any departmental program(s) to OIG.