Kicking off the annual Elder Abuse Awareness Day Conference, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost shared a powerful message of gratitude with the “heroes” in attendance who work tirelessly to protect older Ohioans.
“You answer the call to weed through fact and fiction to save the vulnerable,” Yost told the 160 advocates and professionals gathered at the Sharonville Convention Center. “You are heroes to these people, and to me.”
The daylong conference – with a theme this year of “Dollars and Sense: Financial Exploitation of Older Adults” – is presented by the Attorney General’s Elder Abuse Commission in partnership with the Ohio Coalition of Adult Protective Services.
“Our elders are treasures,” Yost said. “They provide us with history, fill in our blanks, and impart wisdom from lives long-lived. But these folks too often become victims, losing their sense of security, their dignity, and often even their homes. Thankfully, that’s where you all come in.”
Yost shared a poignant story about a 73-year-old military veteran who reached out earlier this year to his office’s Elder Justice Unit. The man was ill, his wife was in a nursing home, and he was being exploited by a relative. The Elder Justice Unit, the advocacy group ProSeniors and local law enforcement intervened, and the veteran’s relative is now facing two felony charges of theft.
Studies have shown that older adults are targeted because they are more vulnerable, especially to technology scams, and they are less likely to report these crimes.
FBI statistics show that, in 2023, people 60 and older lost a combined $3.4 billion to scams, with an average per-victim loss of nearly $34,000.
“What is alarming is that only one in 44 cases of financial crimes against older adults gets reported,” Yost added.
The Attorney General reinforced the need for awareness and timely reporting in this fight against financial exploitation.
“Awareness is key to solving the problem,” Yost said. “There should be no shame in being ripped off, it happens. But failure to report gives the bad guys a better chance of getting away with it.”
Earlier this year, with support from the General Assembly, Yost created a Cyber Crimes Unit within the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) to address the growing problems of cyber and financial crimes. The team, which is made up of specialists in cyber/crypto and financial crime, has already logged some notable successes, including helping to recover $17,619 for a 73-year-old woman who fell victim to a Bitcoin scam.
Yost ended with, “The takeaway message is simple. Report the crime – there are people who can help.”
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