Wright-Patt Credit Union, Inc. Making life a little easier. Fraud Awareness Minute. Elder Fraud and Abuse. Ivy Glover, CCUFC. Wright-Patt Credit Union. More than 47.8 million Americans are 65 or older, making financial fraud and abuse of the elderly a top concern. In fact, financial exploitation is included in 20% of proven elder exploitation cases. Let's take a look at some of the most common types of elder fraud to be aware of. Older adults are often the targets of sweepstakes or lottery scams in which a con artist contacts their victim by phone, email, or mail congratulating them for winning money or a luxury vacation. But in order to claim the prize, the victim is asked to pay a fee or taxes. In the end, there is no prize, and the scammer gets access to the victim's money or account information. Elderly adults are also the target of phishing and vishing attacks. In a phishing attempt, a scammer contacts their victim by email posing as a reputable and often times familiar source in order to convince them to share personal information, such as their passwords, account details, or credit card numbers. Vishing is a similar practice but the scammer makes phone calls or leaves voicemail messages pretending to be from a legitimate source. Power of Attorney Abuse. Unfortunately, many scams targeting the elderly may also involve family members, relatives, or friends of the older adult who have been granted power of attorney. The individual with power of attorney may abuse their power to secretly steal money or assets from the elderly's accounts for personal gain. To detect potential abuse, keep an eye out for yourself and your elderly family members. Pay attention to your elderly family members check writing habits, and take note of any sudden changes to their account activity, which could both be signs of elder abuse. Want some more helpful tips and resources to prevent fraud? Visit WPCU.coop/StopFraud.  Wright-Patt Credit Union, Inc. Victim of Fraud? Call our member help center (800) 762-0047, WPCU.coop/StopFraud