By Susan L. Wagner
Oct 27, 2009
Several years ago, when his elderly aunt lost all her life’s savings in a phony lottery scam, Wayland resident John Siracusa became a crusader against elder fraud.
An FBI agent for 27 years (he retired in 2002), Siracusa has a better handle on this kind of abuse than most.
"My aunt lives alone," he said recently. "She was going away and asked my wife and me to pick up her mail while she was gone. We saw she had stacks and stacks of mail coming in, all of it asking for money in one way or another. It really didn’t dawn on us right away what was going on. Some of her closer relatives realized it before we did."
The bottom line, he went on, is that "she got taken advantage of. It was a hard way to learn about this crime, but the issue is now near and dear to my heart."
Siracusa, who currently works as a fraud investigator in the insurance industry, will share his wisdom on this topic in a presentation starting at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 4 at the Wayland Senior Center.
Older adults who have spent a lifetime earning their savings are prime targets for abusers and crooks who deliberately prey on their generosity, friendliness, mental confusion or loneliness.
Abridged
SOURCE: Wicked Local.Com
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