Victims are losing cash, savings and their homes
October 16, 2008
Victims are losing cash, savings and their homesRosemary Bennett and Naomi Westland
New measures are being prepared to tackle the growing problem of family members who exploit elderly people by stealing their savings and pensions.
Ministers will propose that banks, building societies and the Financial Services Authority monitor the accounts of elderly people for unusual cash withdrawals and direct debits and share information with the authorities where theft or fraud is suspected.
According to the Government, this type of crime against the elderly has increased steadily and diversified in the past few years. Tens of millions of pounds of life savings, possessions and homes were stolen from elderly people last year by their own families, according to a leading charity, which carried out research last year.
The cases range from cash being taken from a purse to the proceeds of house sales being diverted into a relative's account without the elderly owner's knowledge. The problem could get worse as more elderly people are given cash to pay for the care they need in their own homes under the Government's personal budgets programme.
Gary FitzGerald, chief executive of Action on Elder Abuse, said: “It's crazy that we can protect animals by law under the Animal Welfare Act, but we can't protect the elderly. Adult protection is often the poor relation to child protection.”
Abridged
SOURCE: TimesOnLine
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