Romance Scams: Exploiting the Lonely
September 10, 2024
POSTED IN: Aging TAGS: Aging, Aging Alone, Conservatorship, Scams
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In todays digital age, scammers are finding increasingly sophisticated ways to prey on vulnerable seniors, often leaving them in dire financial straits and unable to afford basic living costs like healthcare and rent.One particularly insidious scam is the romance scam, targeting seniors through online dating or social media.These scammers, posing as love interests, exploit the loneliness and trust of their victims, gradually convincing them to send money for fabricated emergencies.Is Janet the victim of a romance scam?Take the case of Janet, a 77-year-old widow living independently.
Janet had been managing her type 2 diabetes well, but her son Andy recently received a disturbing call from the hospital.Janet had been admitted to the ER with dangerously high blood sugar levels.Despite Janet appearing cognitively sound, it was clear that Janet had not been taking her insulin correctly.The truth emerged during a conversation with the hospital social worker.
Janet tearfully confessed that she couldnt afford her insulin anymore because she had been sending most of her Social Security check to her boyfriend, who claimed he needed money to get out of Iraq safely.Despite her sons concerns, Janet insisted she was not being scammed and begged the social worker not to inform Andy.Keeping Janet safeIn this Hurley Elder Care Law case, our attorneys worked with the family and healthcare professionals to determine if Janet was making bad decisions (which we are all free to do) or if she was making bad financial choices due to incapacity.In this case, she persisted in believing she was not the victim of a romance scam, and her family had to seek conservatorship to prevent her from continuing to be exploited.A poor decision or exploitation?This tragic situation highlights a growing problem where seniors, despite being or appearing mentally sharp, are manipulated into making poor financial decisions, jeopardizing their health and well-being.
It underscores the urgent need for increased awareness, more robust protective measures, and open communication between seniors and their families to prevent these scams.Over the past few years, we have seen an increase in these situations.Please call our office at 404-840-7215 to discuss your options to protect their finances and well-being.
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Posted in AgingTags: Aging, Aging Alone, Conservatorship, Scams
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Thank you so much!!!!read moreread less Tricia Woodward 8/15/2024 During my wife's illness and eventual passing.I can't express the professionalism and compassion I recieved from this law group.They were and are friends who I'll never forget.read moreread less Richard Nicholson 8/15/2024 The staff is very friendly and professional! The office is in a great location.
Everything was explained thoroughly.Great team of lawyers for your estate planningread moreread less denise bradley 8/07/2024 Wonderful law firm to work with.Everyone is so helpful and friendly.
They take time to answer questions and listen to your needs but are extremely efficient in delivering the documents required.Amazing experience all the way around!read moreread less David Dorsett 8/03/2024 Very knowledgeable and efficient! Smooth transaction handled professionally!read moreread less doris housley 7/17/2024 Caring professionals who have helped me feel much more secure about the future.read moreread less Jan Batson 7/16/2024 We had a great experience with Hurley Elder Law.They helped us put my parents wills, advanced directive and POA in order.
They hold informative classes helping families to navigate all the new policies, laws and resources.Highly recommend.read moreread less Lisa McIntyre 5/17/2024 We were pleased with the methodical, thorough approach Hurley used to update or wills and handle details of our estate planning.We highly recommend their services.read moreread less Don Barnett 5/17/2024 I needed to redraft my will, health care directive and power of attorney after my divorce and estrangement from a child.
Needless to say, it was an emotionally delicate process but Jennifer was incredibly sympathetic and really knows her stuff! Shes uber-professional but personable and the entire revision process took a matter of several weeks and was fairly priced.I love that the firm sends newsletters with articles that are of interest to those in the later stages of life and their loved ones who might be caring for them.Nobody enjoys thinking about their eventual demise but it must be done if you want to make it easier for those left behind.
Highly recommend!read moreread less Karen Stearns 4/10/2024 Working with Jennifer and her team at Hurley was a great experience.Communication is excellent and they were very professional and efficient throughout the entire process.Highly recommend them!read moreread less Harris Wattles 3/08/2024 I went to Hurley to get help for my wife.
Everyone involved in the process has been informative, attentive, and compassionate.Hurley is definitely the place to go when you need help!read moreread less D Gooden 2/04/2024 Wish I could give 10 stars.We left the meeting knowing we had received excellent advice.
Advice was very clear and easy for my mother to understand.We feel so lucky to have found Hurley Elder Care Law.read moreread less Tammy Davis 2/04/2024 I retained Hurley ECL in May of 2023 to work on behalf of my recently widowed mother.I cannot offer high enough praise for this outstanding firm.
Their team approach is a model of efficiency, and efficacy.The level of care they provide the client is unsurpassed in my experience.We were blessed to have been referred to them.read moreread less Louis Mura 12/23/2023 The entire staff was excellent to deal with.
Courteous, professional, and knowledgeable service, they were always prompt in answering questions and being able to direct me through the process of selling my parents home.I would not hesitate to recommend them for all of your elder care legal services.read moreread less James & Susie Wynn 12/09/2023 The team at Hurley Elder Care Law (Kaila Crowder, Nicole Lott & Paul Abrahamson) were very attentive and supportive.They guided me through every step of the process to help my dad.
Any steps I needed to take were extremely clear and easy to execute.They did exactly what they said they would do from beginning to end.They provided regular status updates and phone calls to check on our well-being.
I would highly recommend Hurley Elder Care for your elder family members needs.read moreread less Nick Brown 12/07/2023 I have been so pleased with Hurley EC Law's skilled and knowledgeable service.Kaila, from the beginning, has patiently assisted me in my "learning curve" as executor in the probate/estate phase.Hurley's professional staff are available for calls and thru email, to address and answer every question I've needed during this unfamilar process.
And Kiersten, who was assigned to assist me for my final phase, has been on point from the introduction.She was completely informed on my file, which assured me that she'd put in the work to know where we were in the process when she stepped in.Kiersten is a very professional and personable Blessing to me who constantly keeps me updated on changes and what I need to do to keep on task the "Hurley way".
She consistently follows thru on getting out the appropriate documents and notifications needed in getting every task done.Many thanks to Kiersten.I finally do see the light at the end of this very long tunnel.
I would highly recommend Hurley ECL to family and friends.read moreread less Bj Harris 12/07/2023
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