Scam Alert--Telephone Scam Aimed at Seniors Sweeping the Country

By Kim Dayton

One of my elder law practioner-friends, Julian Zweber, was called by scammers this week.  Julian smelled a rat, and now he's working with the Ramsey County Sheriff's Dept. to track down the scammers.  I understand from other colleagues that variations of the scam are is sweeping the country.  It has been very effective in bilking seniors of a LOT of money.

Details on the Minneapolis/St. Paul version. 

The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents about telephone scams.

Individuals are calling residents and telling them there is a warrant out for their arrest because of unpaid court fees or unpaid fines. The phone scammer tells residents that they will be arrested unless they provide credit card or payment information.

Police departments in the metro area also have received reports about phone scammers who tell residents that they owe back taxes. The phone scammers threaten that law enforcement officers will arrest residents who don’t provide payment information over the phone.

The IRS and the Minnesota Department of Revenue have recently issued alerts reminding people that their agencies do not call residents about tax issues. Instead, these agencies send letters to residents.

Crimes, Elder Abuse/Guardianship/Conservatorship | Permalink

http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/elder_law/crimes/

1 in 5 nursing home residents are abused – by other residents

Published December 9, 2014 | By Coluccio Law

Cornell University has completed the first study on resident-to-resident violence and aggression in nursing homes.

The studied behaviors ranged widely, from physical attacks and sexual violence to invasive acts, like going through another resident’s possessions.

The study gathered data for more than 2000 residents in 10 nursing homes. The researchers interviewed residents, and pulled reports by nursing home staff and inspectors for a 4-week period.

• 16% of residents experienced verbal abuse, defined as cursing, screaming or yelling
• 7 % reported physical abuse— hitting, kicking or biting
• 3 % experienced sexual abuse, such as genital exposure, inappropriate touching, or attempts for sexual favors
• 8 % reported inappropriate, disruptive or hostile behavior by other residents

These are surprisingly high rates of resident-on-resident abuse. Skilled nursing facilities tend to be run similarly to hospitals, as the residents require more physical care than assisted living facility residents.

Yet, nurses and staff had only reported a fraction of the abuse that the residents experienced.

http://waelderabuse.com/blog/

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