BALTIMORE — In only its second year, the older adults luncheon at Martin’s West sold out in a single week and beyond the meal that’s offered, there’s plenty of food for thought about how to avoid becoming a victim of financial fraud.
“We had one of our guests who was there that approached Mr. Bates and said, ‘I think my mother is a victim’,” said Shari Greene.
Greene who heads up the office’s Economic Crimes Unit, which spent the next six months combing over the 90-something-year-old Baltimore woman’s bank records and discovered a granddaughter had allegedly stolen 48 thousand dollars from her.
“It was forged checks. It was withdrawals from the bank with an ATM card,” said Greene, “You often hear people saying things like ‘Well, she would have gave it to me anyway. She wouldn’t have minded,' but they take away the power of choice and independence from an older adult.”
And it’s not just targeting their bank accounts.
Prosecutors tell us there’s a man who is now serving three years behind bars who offered home improvement contracts to the elderly, 15 separate victims totaling some $300,000, and never delivered on the work.
“One older adult (and) her daughter were left with a loan debt in excess of $90,000,” said Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates.
Experts say you should never deal with an unlicensed contractor, and as for your personal finances, always monitor your online accounts, and if you don’t have one, check with your bank to make sure no one has opened one in your name.
Also, take advantage of one free credit report each year to make sure no one has applied for something that you don’t know about.
In the case of the duped grandmother, it may have exposed her granddaughter’s scheme to fund her buying sprees at the expense of her retirement nest egg.
“It’s an open warrant at this time and we are seeking to get that warrant served so we can proceed,” said Greene, “Unfortunately, the grandmother, the victim, is deceased now and that’s unfortunate, but we are still pursuing justice for her."
To report a crime, you can call the Economic Crimes Unit hot line at 1-844-726-6378.
