By Marci Leffler, Adult Protective Services Community Engagement Specialist
Temperatures and leaves are starting to fall. Scary Halloween decorations are going up in neighborhoods, awaiting the annual parade of trick-or-treaters. But there are also scary things preying on our elderly neighbors – a different type of “tricks” and there are no “treats” involved for seniors! Aging Texans are prime targets for Financial Exploitation and protecting them is everyone’s business.
This October, the State of Texas is working to raise awareness about ways we can help prevent, recognize and report elderly financial exploitation. Emotional abuse, physical abuse, neglect and abandonment are frequent forms of elder abuse, but financial exploitation is the fastest growing form of elder abuse. This awareness effort is being led by Texas Adult Protective Services, and the rallying cry is “If it is not your money, it is a crime.”
The people of the Permian Basin have a long tradition of helping our fellow Texans in need. Adult Protective Services (APS), a program of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS), investigated 12,688 “exploitation” cases in Texas (2022). Of those cases 207 were in the Permian Basin.
If you know an elderly or disabled individual who you believe has been a victim of financial exploitation, please make a report to Adult Protective Services by calling 1-800-252-5400, or online at txabusehotline.org
