The 82-year-old Sacramento woman was shocked when a bank official called to say she was late paying on a $10,000 cash advance on her credit card. “It wasn’t me,” she cried out.
Her youngest son had moved in with her and used her Social Security number to get credit cards in her name. He had been intercepting the mail to keep her from finding out.
It’s not just millionaires like New York socialite Brooke Astor, 104, who face the possibility of elder abuse. Astor’s grandson has filed papers in a New York court alleging that Astor’s son has mistreated her.
Financial abuse of the elderly is a common and growing problem, “whether you have $50 in your checking account and live month to month or $250,000,” said Sacramento Deputy District Attorney Sheri Greco, who is handling the 82-year-old’s case. “It’s not one class of victims that is targeted. It is across the board.”
