July 18, 2013: Twenty-two Rotarians and a guest
(Sheri Hoffman’s summer intern, Ethan Chlebowski) were present as Mike Flock
shared information about elder financial abuse and scams and the type of
assistance banks are seeking to provide in mitigating against such abuse. Jared
Roush was the host.Mike is a member of
the state level Security and Fraud Committee and has a lot of experience in
dealing with these issues. Given the large number of older people in
Pennsylvania, crime of this nature is increasing and is typically committed by
friends, family, and care givers. Victims are typically over 80 and female, and
perpetrators are also usually female because of the large number serving as
caregivers. The banks are training tellers to ask questions that help them
determine what is happening and the banks, because of the PA Older Adult
Protection Act, are able to report concerns to the Areas Agency on Aging. There
is proposed legislation that would make banks mandatory reporters, which the
banks would prefer doesn’t pass.This
was an informative and helpful program.