BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (WBNG) – The Broome County Office for Aging brought together local leaders, agencies and seniors Monday for its World Elder Abuse Awareness Day Expo at the Chenango Bridge Senior Center.
The event focused on educating older adults about scams, connecting them with resources and making sure they know help is available.
Aaron Martin, Broome County clerk, said his office sends out letters on any residential property that gets transferred.
“So if you own 123 Main Street and someone files something with our office and now she owns 123 Main Street, you’re going to get a letter and it’s going to say, ‘Your property was transferred. Did you do this?’ If you didn’t, call us and we will work with our partners here to look into that,” Martin said.
Financial exploitation is one of the fastest growing forms of elder abuse, officials said. From property fraud to fake DMV texts, awareness can help stop scams before they cost someone their savings or their home, they said.
Mary Terbush of the Broome County Office for Aging said her office has seen both scams.
“Office for Aging has actually seen both those scams come through our office, so people answering that DMV text, and also we have prevented recently a couple of mortgage frauds and actually had to get lawyers involved to get the mortgage back to the person that it was supposed to be in. So these things do happen,” Terbush said.
Organizers said events like this are important not only to educate seniors, but to encourage family members, friends and neighbors to watch for warning signs and speak up when something doesn’t seem right.
“Whenever you run into problems, please give us a call. We’re happy to help,” Terbush said.
The Office for Aging said protecting older adults is a shared responsibility, and building a stronger network of community support can help prevent elder abuse before it happens.
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