June 15 is World Elder Abuse
Awareness Day
Washington,
D.C. (June 13, 2014)–June
15 is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, the Independent Community Bankers of
America® (ICBA), Community Financial Services Bank (CFSB), the Senior
Housing Crime Prevention Foundation (SHCPF) and the nation’s more than 6,500
community banks are providing tips for preventing the disturbing trend of elder
financial abuse.
“Community
bankers nationwide serve a vital role in protecting members of our communities,
including the elderly who are all too often targets of financial abuse,” said
ICBA Chairman John H. Buhrmaster, president and CEO of 1st National Bank of
Scotia, N.Y. “It’s important for all Americans to be aware of this very real
issue and learn about ways to help prevent elder financial abuse from happening
to themselves or their loved ones. If you have questions or concerns about the
safety and security of your finances, you should speak to your local community
banker right away.”
ICBA,
CFSB and SHCPF offer the following suggestions on ways to prevent elder
financial abuse:
·
Secure all of your valuables in a
bank safety deposit box. These valuables can include your Social Security card,
passports, credit card account numbers, will and other legal documents,
financial statements and medical records.
·
Do not give financial information to
callers that contact you and claim to be from established organizations such as
your bank or credit card companies, especially if they ask you to wire funds or
send them private information. If you are concerned about your bank account,
contact your local community bank directly.
·
Check your bank accounts and bill
statements carefully. You can check them online so you can zoom in easily in
case you need to make the statement larger for easier reading. If you notice
unauthorized charges, alert your bank immediately.
·
Do not give your personal
information, such as bank account numbers or PINs, to anyone in a phone call,
letter, email, fax or in a text message.
·
Have enough money set aside to
support yourself and your immediate family for at least six months in case of
an emergency. Your local community banker can help create a financial roadmap
for you and your family.
“Elder
financial abuse is a rapidly growing problem in our country, so we produced the
Preventing Elder Financial Abuse Video Toolkit because we are dedicated to
providing educational resources to help our nation’s seniors and their family
members on ways to protect themselves against financial exploitation,” said
Peter Gwaltney, chairman, president and CEO of the Senior Housing Crime
Prevention Foundation. “We are encouraging every banker to spread the word on
ways to prevent elder financial abuse and exploitation to every senior citizen
and their families.”
For more
information about the Senior Housing Crime Prevention Foundation, visit www.SHCPFoundation.org.
To order the Preventing Elder Financial Abuse Video Toolkit, visit SHCPF’s website. To learn more about
community banks and services they offer, visit www.icba.org.
About The Senior Housing Crime Prevention
Foundation (SHCPF)
The Foundation serves as a way for banks to earn CRA credit in the form of CRA-qualified loans, investments or grants through the operation of the nationally acclaimed Senior Crimestopper’s program. Funded exclusively by the banking industry, this program provides safe, secure and improved quality of life living environments in low and moderate income senior housing facilities, HUD communities and our nation’s Veterans homes. Banks enjoy guaranteed CRA credit, no administrative burden, installation of a turn-key program, and positive public relations exposure in their communities.
The Foundation serves as a way for banks to earn CRA credit in the form of CRA-qualified loans, investments or grants through the operation of the nationally acclaimed Senior Crimestopper’s program. Funded exclusively by the banking industry, this program provides safe, secure and improved quality of life living environments in low and moderate income senior housing facilities, HUD communities and our nation’s Veterans homes. Banks enjoy guaranteed CRA credit, no administrative burden, installation of a turn-key program, and positive public relations exposure in their communities.
Not
only does the Foundation impact the lives of the elderly, we also impact the
community outside of the long-term care industry through the CRA-qualified
securities we purchase on behalf of our bank partners. As March 31, 2014 the
community impact has reached approximately $134 Million which goes to provide
affordable home mortgages for low-to-moderate income families, affordable
healthcare services, small business development providing job creation, as well
as other economic development projects.
Senior Crimestoppers is a multi-faceted
program that protects the elderly from theft, abuse, neglect and financial
exploitation, and is administered by the Foundation who is endorsed by the
ICBA, the ABA, and bankers associations in 38 states. For more information
about the Foundation, visit www.SHCPFoundation.org or call
877-232-0859. For more information about the program, visit www.SeniorCrimestoppers.com or call
800-529-9096.