Imagine in 60 years from now a friend is sitting in their living room enjoying a nice cup of coffee while reading their favourite book. All of a sudden their IPhone 53 starts to ring and some man on the phone, portraying to be a family member, tells them that he is in jail after a believable incident. He explains that he is in desperate need of money and gives his bank account number over the phone. Nothing is thought of it and they transfer him some money at the bank. A few days later they receive a similar call from their long lost sister and realize that they have just been a victim of a type of elder abuse – elder fraud. Fraud is defined as getting something of value from a victim by misleading or misrepresentation the situation. It causes …show more content…
No elder person should be tricked into giving goods or money to anyone, not even their own family members. Elder fraud is one of the most common types of elder abuse in Canada and in a lot of cases, the elderly are not even aware that they are getting scammed because fraudsters are very tricky (The Ontario Network, n.d). For instance, they can pretend that they are a family member in need and trick a person into giving them money. As well, there are even specific types of fraud that are designed just for older people such as: unethical doctors who charge extra for seniors or who take the seniors money without preforming the procedure (Robinson et al., 2014). On top of that, some fraudsters are actually younger family members who try to scam the elder members of their family. Not only is that despicable, but it is cruel on every level. Any person can be a victim of fraud, but its effects of elder people are much worse because it is harder for them to “recover financially” (Krugel, 2012). As well, older women are typically targeted more than older men for reasons such as: social inequalities between genders (Novak et al., 2014:30). Evidently, it is clear that elder fraud is a huge concern in Canada. In order to lower its rates, than the senior who plans on transferring money to someone must be accompanied by them at the bank so that they can make up a written agreement on why the senior is transferring money and what the other person is going to do with the
Fraud is one of Canada's most severe acts of financial criminality as the economic impact of this crime could potentially handicap an entire society. According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre Annual Statistic Report (CAFC), a report established to monitor fraud with the aid of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), and Competition Bureau of Canada, it reported an annual loss of 74 million dollars affecting over 14,472 victims (Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, 2014). Given this alarming statistic, it is worrisome that we as a society still ignore or turn a blind eye towards those who commit fraud as seen in the low conviction (Canada Revenue Agency, 2014), and focus our efforts on petty thefts as seen with the high rate of convictions
Violence has become prevalent within society; it is something the western world has learned to accept. With every minute that passes Canadians come face to face with certain acts of violence they may not have previously encountered (citation). Although, violence is not a subject that one can escape, women and children have unfortunately become the prime victims of violent acts. The media glorifies violence in other countries around the world it fails to address the presence of violence within Canada. Although violence is usually associated with gangs and guns, Canada experiences more violence related to bullying, sexual, verbal, cyber and domestic abuse (citation). Amidst the changing societal views towards treating women equally and eliminating objectification, of all these types of violence and abuse in our society, the most common still happens to be domestic abuse, which is mainly targeted at women and affects children. Domestic abuse is described as a form of abuse that takes place in the confines of the household (Citation). Though 51% of Canadians have said to have experienced or witnessed domestic abuse only 20% of those cases related to domestic violence are ever reported (citation). Domestic abuse has become more prevalent in modern society; however, it is an issue that is left un-noticed simply because its effects are invisible outside the walls of ones home. In reality the effects of domestic violence have severe negative effects on women, children and the social structure of today’s society. Without any notification of domestic violence the re precautions of this abuse can be dire. When an individual thinks of domestic abuse, their ideas quickly relate back to women, simply because women are the usual and most common victims of domestic violence. And therefore is an issue that must be resolved rather than ignored.
Did you know that, according to the National Institute of Justice website, “There are few reliable national measures of elder abuse. This is partially because there is no uniform reporting system for elder abuse in the U.S.” ("Extent of Elder Abuse Victimization," 2015). It is sad that, in a country as developed as ours, we have no standard way of reporting elder abuse.
Intimate partner violence has been a significant issue for centuries in all countries. "Since 1974, nearly 2,600 spousal homicides have been recorded in Canada" (Bunge, 2002). Of these homicides, more than three-quarters have been against women. Although through feminism and the women's liberation movement, there has been a slight improvement in the incidences of violence against women, there has also been a drastic change in the perception of the issue by society. After reviewing the most recent literature on violence against women and victimization through intimate partners, it has become prevalent that there are now two crucial stances that are taken. The first position is that of the women being victimized as the main issue, including prevention, causes and incidences. The second position is that of women becoming more 'aggressive' and the issue of violence against both men and women. "Wife battering- the original problem constituted by the 1970s feminists- has morphed into 'domestic violence' and then into 'husband abuse'" (Minaker, 2006). This literature review will examine the background information on intimate partner violence including different arguments and perspectives, theories, and methodologies as well as discuss the major findings and future directions of research.
To begin, “Financial abuse towards the elderly is defined as the financial exploitation of seniors because of vulnerabilities related with age”. (Crimes-of-persuasion.com). It is unfortunate that this kind of abuse can be done by someone the elders know and trust – such as, family members, visitors, nurses, social workers, or doctors. From the same website, an explanation is given on how seniors may not report such a crime for a variety of reasons. Some may be either that they are simply unaware of the situation, afraid of revenge by the abuser, or ashamed that they cannot handle the abuse in their own home themselves. It has been proven, by the Mature Market Institute, a research organization, that four out five cases of elder abuse from a financial nature are not reported because of the motives that were previously stated. Is this ...
In recent years, the shameful subject of elder abuse has gained more awareness among community members. In particular, the complexity of elder financial abuse often makes manipulative dealings by fraudsters difficult to identify and separate from actual permissive transactions made by older victims. The result is that these cases are very rarely prosecuted and many other undetected cases continue to fall far below the radar of society. The consequences of financial exploitation of older adults are reaching far beyond the immediate distress of financial depletion. Victims may also experience declines in physical and mental health as well as the risk of a decrease in life expectancy (Kemp & Mosqueda, 2005). The purpose of the following studies is to address the issue of financial exploitation of elder adults through the means of intervention, prosecution, prevention, and correlation between different forms of abuse.
With respect to older women, the issue is that there is a serious lack in differentiating between elder abuse and domestic violence. The discrepancy causes confusion as to what agency to report either volunteered or mandated cases of abuse (Kilbane & Spira, 2010). Furthermore, it is because of reporting errors that victims of abuse may not receive the services that are congruent to the type of abuse (Kilbane & Spira, 2010) indicating, “…a lack of centralized reporting of cases….” (Kilbane & Spira, 2010, p. 165).
Elder abuse is a very sad reality. With an understanding of what the term elder abuse encompasses, who is at risk, what the warning signs are, the statutes that are there to protect the elderly, who is mandated to report the abuse, and how to report the abuse, it is important to minimize the crime. As with all things, the most important way to prevent something from happening is to educate, and elder abuse is no different. If care takers had education about the numerous resources there are, such as support groups and counseling, elder abuse could possibly be decreased exponentially.
Elder abuse is causing emotional, physical or sexual harm, financial exploitation, or intentional or unintentional neglect to someone of greater age, whether it be from a family member or a stranger. Elder abuse has been a social issue for many years prior to any kind of legislation being made. Victims of elder abuse are often older adults ages 60 to 75 and the person abusing the elder is usually someone the victim knows, but could be a stranger in certain cases.
Fraud is usually comprehended as deceptive nature calculated for advantage. And usually this kind of people might be called a fraud. According to the U.S. legal system, fraud is a particular offense with specific features. Fraud must be proved by showing that the defendant’s actions involved five separate elements: 1. A false statement of a material fact; 2. Knowledge on the part of the defendant that the statement is untrue; 3. Intent on the part of the defendant to deceive the alleged victim; 4. Justifiable reliance by the alleged victim on the statement; 5. Injury to the alleged victim as a
Of nursing home staff interviewed in 2004, nearly 40% admitted to committing at least one psychologically abusive act toward a resident and 10% admitted to physically abusing a resident in the preceding year.[1] Not only are nursing home residents at risk of being abused by their caretakers but they are also at risk of being restrained, which may lead to a form of abuse. With five percent of the elderly population, or one to two million instances of elder abuse occurring yearly there is no doubt that elder abuse deserves serious consideration.[2]
Within the next 20 years the population of older adults will likely outnumber the population of children in this country. The combination of this swiftly increasing population and the latest assessments of the increasing rate of established cases of elder abuse suggest that the issue of elder abuse will continue to grow without significant means for deterrence and intermediation. Due to age-related declines in cognitive functioning and other vulnerabilities such as difficulties with mobility, isolation, medication, and dependence, older adults are uniquely attractive to criminal predators (Lindberg, Sabatino, & Blancato, 2011). Elder financial exploitation is an especially cumbersome matter to address because of difficulties in identifying complex financial transactions as unauthorized (Greenlee, 2012). According to the MetLife Mature Market Institute (2011) the estimated national cost of financial exploitation of older adults was around $2.9 billion in 2009. Additionally, there are many forensic challenges to identifying and prosecuting cases of elder abuse or neglect in terms of mental and physical competence and the ability to give consent (Greenlee, 2012). There are insufficient programs to address the distinct problems of older victims and essentially “Elder abuse is robbing older adults of their safety, their health, and their financial resources” (Greenlee, 2012, p. 7).
Elderly adults face an abundant amount of abuse in many healthcare settings. According to the National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA), elder abuse is defined as, “intentional or neglectful acts by a caregiver or “trusted” individual that lead to, or may lead to, harm of a vulnerable elder” (NCEA, 2017, p. 2). Elder abuse can possess many forms, including physical abuse, neglect, emotional or psychological abuse, financial abuse or exploitation, sexual abuse, and abandonment. (NCEA, 2017, p. 2). This abuse can take place in many settings that house seniors, age 65 years old and up regardless of age, sex, or race. These senior care facilities can include, rehabilitation centers, long-term care facilities, nursing homes, and/or senior day care
Con artists are everywhere. They seem to sense when other are vulnerable, such as older people. Our elderly come from a time when people believed others. They truth their neighbors and friends. If they say they will do something, they mean they will do it. Our elderly are simply too trusting. It is hard for them to look another person in the eye and lie. It is hard for them to take something that does not belong to them. Unfortunately, the con artist does not have a problem with either lying to people or stealing from them. He has his chosen profession down to the art he has practiced. He is good at what he does because he works at being good at it. The con artist is an actor. He should win an Oscar for his performances. He is able to change personalities like a chameleon changes colors. The con artist can be anything he needs to be for whatever “job” he is working on at the time. He usually is a very likable person who is able to blend in with others on any occasion or any given situation. Sadly, if these swindlers had chosen to work an honest job, they probably would have been very good at what they did. It requires more planning and convincing to rip people off than it takes to work at a legitimate career.