Taking a Look at Con Artitst

What are the risk factors of elder financial exploitation? In a study conducted by the University of Virginia, there are four predominant types of elder maltreatment. This includes pure financial exploitation (PFE), physical abuse, neglect by others or self, and hybrid financial exploitation (HFE). PFE is elder financial exploitation without any other abuse cited. PFE is usually conducted by unknown individuals to the elderly victim, as in mortgage or home improvement scams. HFE is a combination of elder financial exploitation that includes neglect and/or abuse. HFE usually occurs when the victim is dependent on their caregiver who has power and authority over them. This study addressed the understudied societal problems of financial

A criminal that commits fraud for profit essentially inquires about a home or property, makes an offer desirable to the seller and places

Victims of financial exploitation often lack someone with whom they can discuss and monitor financial issues. They may have an emerging, unrecognized cognitive impairment; worry about a future loss of independence; and be overly trusting of a caregiver capable of theft, fraud and misuse of assets.

The elderly are vulnerable for many reasons. For those whom can still take care of themselves, the major issue would be to be scammed. For those who are needing help, could be the victim of many forms of abuse.

Greene and Gibson state (2013, p. 163), “ elder financial abuse leaves no physical mark, is largely hidden, from public view, can occur over time, and in the context of interpersonal relationships that involve issues of entitlement and familial obligation, can be difficult to distinguish from well-intentioned but misguided advice, and sometimes lurks only in private financial records.” It is very hard to recognize elder financial abuse, as there is no clear evidence to uncovering it, unless one investigates financial records of the victim. More problematic, someone would have to make a report, which is unlikely as very few people do and sadly, victims of elder financial abuse often do not know that they are victims. According to Rabiner et al.(as cited in Gibson and Green, 2013, pp. 163-164), “Others hesitate to report because they are embarrassed or ashamed, lack understanding of protective and legal processes, are reluctant to inform on family members for fear of reprisal, or are concerned that reporting may lead to loss of independence.” The lack of reports, in regards to elder financial abuse, further highlights the necessity of awareness and services to the public and the criminal justice system.

What has led me to research this topic is my personal interest in the elderly. My major is Communication Science Disorders and although I will not be a daily life care provider I will still be working closely with them. Through my job I will be working with patients who have had strokes or other impairing conditions that have hindered them from speaking or communicating. Since I will be working closely with them I think it is important for me to be able to notice warning signs of abuse and to know what to do after I have noticed them, I will learn these things through my research. Not only am I interested in the topic from a professional and career driven aspect but I am also intrigued from a family aspect as well. My great-grandmother has recently been financially abused by a scam artist and even the closest of her family members weren’t sure how to approach the situation and help her through it. I am hopeful that I will be able to help her prevent this from ever happening again and help her to better live out her future after the abuse. So not only am I suitable to research this from a professional stand point but from a personal one as well.

First, there has to be a foundation of what a conman is to even begin to understand how

In recent years, the shameful subject of elder abuse has gained more awareness among community members. In particular, the complexity of elder financial abuse often makes manipulative dealings by fraudsters difficult to identify and separate from actual permissive transactions made by older victims. The result is that these cases are very rarely prosecuted and many other undetected cases continue to fall far below the radar of society. The consequences of financial exploitation of older adults are reaching far beyond the immediate distress of financial depletion. Victims may also experience declines in physical and mental health as well as the risk of a decrease in life expectancy (Kemp & Mosqueda, 2005). The purpose of the following

Financial abuse is another common form of elder abuse that occurs when a caretaker is an opportunist and the victim cannot process or understand what is going on. This is frequently perpetrated by caretakers who are either family members or hired on to take over the responsibility of caring for these helpless seniors (Bartle-Haring, Slesnick, & Carmona, 2015).

Financial elder abuse “is the unauthorized or improper use of the elder’s resources for monetary or personal benefit, profit, or gain such as forgery, theft, or improper use of guardianship or power of attorney” (Jarvis, 2016, p.104). Financial abuse has been described as not only stealing money or possessions, but also coarsening someone into signing papers or checks. According to Peterson et al. (2014), the most common person to take advantage financially of elderly person is a family member.

Currently in the united states the most vulnerable group to financial abuse are the elderly. The elderly are looked at as a vulnerable group to be financially abused because they are constantly relying on the help of others. This group of people is typically at the care of family members who can be taking advantage of them. Not only are elderly vulnerable to the financial abuse of their family members they are also vulnerable to financial abuse from others such as lawyers, employees and doctors.

Unfortunately, most abusers are the victim’s child or partner (National Center on Elder Abuse, 2005). According to Ramsey-Klawsnik (2000), there are five types of offenders, “the overwhelmed, the impaired, the narcissistic, the domineering, or bullying, and the sadistic.” The overwhelmed offenders are those who take on too much responsibility by taking on the care of an older adult. They become exhausted and neglect the elder. The overwhelmed are more likely to admit their wrongdoings out of guilt. A trained professional can become an overwhelmed offender if given too many hours or tasks at work. Next, an impaired offender is one who is not capable of caring for an older adult. An example would be an aging spouse or a child with a mental disorder. These caregivers do not conceal the abuse, for they are not aware they are abusing the elder. Third, the narcissistic offender is one who wants to care for an older adult for financial reasons. These offenders are not usually involved in sexual abuse. Narcissistic offenders will take the victim’s money or become involved in hopes of an inheritance. The abuse can become physical if the elder withholds funds from the abuser. Fourth, the domineering offender is one who likes to control others with less power than he or she. This offender believes that the elder deserves the abuse given to them. The abuse often includes sexual abuse,

For instance, every time I go to the store and write a check, I see two or three mistakes made on the part of the clerk or cashier, mistakes that a bum check artist would take advantage of. I have concluded that it is simply a lack of training, and I know I can teach people who handle checks or cash vouchers how to protect themselves against fraud and theft,” (Abagnale Epilogue). Surprisingly the government gave him a chance and he is doing very well. So maybe the consequences are worth the risk? Either way Frank Abagnale Jr., former con-man is now living a quite satisfying life, “Today, three years later, Frank Abagnale is one of the nation’s most popular crime authorities, with offices in both Houston and Denver, a highly-trained staff, and gross revenues approaching $3 million.

There is no doubt that many elderly individuals will eventually need assistance with managing their finances, which includes making purchases on their behalf. Thus the older adult may provide their caregiver with cash, cheques and in some cases they may implement a power of attorney. Essentially, powers of attorney grant considerable power to named individuals, over both finances and property. Unfortunately, over time what evolves is an over spending of the older adults money solely benefiting the caregiver, moreover, these caregivers begin to develop a sense of entitlement (Gibson & Honn Qualls, 2012, p. 27). When considering financial abuse committed by strangers, many simple scams against older adults have surfaced over the years. For example, individuals may offer handyman services, recognizing that many older adults struggle with chores such as exterior window washing. However once paid, the individuals do not return to complete the job. It is interesting to note that of all reported elder abuse cases, financial abuse makes up more than half of all complaints (Friese & Collopy, 2010, p. 60).

When we talk about tricksters and heros, we think of people who lie and cheat their way through life. We also think about people who “save people” and is looked up to by everyone. Well, we aren’t entirely wrong. Let’s take the Joker for example. He is considered a trickster to some people because he likes to play games with Batman and the city and citizens of Gothem. He always says he’ll kill a bunch of people, but he never really does unless it’s absolutely necessary. The Joker goes around playing games and tricks, and that makes Batman mad. He plays with people’s minds and that’s the reason we call the Joker a trickster.