Fraud, Abuse & the Elderly: Private Investigators Protect Loved Ones

Senior citizens have spent their lives contributing to society and deserve to be honored and respected. Unfortunately, predators and con artists frequently target the elderly because they are often vulnerable to being tricked and exploited for their kindness. These criminals will befriend senior citizens and gain their trust by offering caretaking or housekeeping services.

Before you let an elderly caretaker into your home or the home of someone that you love, retain the help of a private investigator to make sure that they are trustworthy.

Elder Abuse and Fraud: The Facts

The National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA) collects statistics and data about elderly abuse. In their most recent survey, the NCEA reported that between 7.6% and 10% of the elderly people surveyed had experienced abuse in the previous year. Major financial exploitation was reported by 41 out of every 1,000 survey participants. Even worse, many cases go unnoticed: according to a study published by the National Research Council in 2003, authorities only know about roughly one out of every 14 cases of elder abuse.

Private Investigative Services Can Protect The Elderly

Whether you are already suspicious of a current caretaker, or you are thinking about hiring someone new to care for yourself or someone you're close to, a private investigator will be very helpful. Private investigators provide services that will give you a more complete understanding of the people you put your trust in. These services include :

  • Complete Background Check: people who are out to swindle the elderly often have a criminal history with records of this exact kind of behavior in the past. A private investigator will reveal these records when they conduct an advanced background check on your caretaker
  • Monitoring services: are you suspicious that your caretaker may be using drugs or alcohol when they are on the job? A private investigator can use surveillance services to provide concrete evidence that will prove whether or not someone is buying drugs or spending time drinking before they are supposed to be taking care of an elderly person
  • Verification of references and qualifications: for your own peace of mind, you will want to make sure that a caretaker actually has the training and job history that they claim to have. Private investigative services can help you check references and feel more confident that a prospective caretaker has not falsified their experience or certifications.

Prevent Elder Abuse Before it Ever Starts

Elderly abuse is a serious problem that can cause mental and physical trauma. In cases of financial elder abuse, a person's entire savings and assets can be drained without anyone being the wiser.

If you want to know the truth about a caretaker who is close to you or a senior citizen that you care about, hire a private investigator who specialized in elder abuse to bring clarity to the situation. Private investigative services will help you learn beyond the shadow of a doubt whether or not someone is abusing, lying to, or stealing from an elderly person.

Ready to do your homework and get some answers about the people who are taking care of your senior loved ones? Contact Linked Investigations. We offer free consultations and will make recommendations based on your story.

Published on: 
June 1, 2014
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