Officials to raise awareness about elder abuse
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News from DPHHS
HELENA — Several state officials, banking representatives, and a victim of elder exploitation are speaking out to raise awareness about elder abuse and financial exploitation on Thursday, June 15, at 5:15 p.m. as part of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.
The event will feature formal remarks from various experts at the Montana Club located at 24 W Sixth Ave. on the 6th floor in Helena.
Susan Bivins of Anaconda will be on hand to share her personal story. In 2022, Bivins was the victim of a financial scam when she was swindled out of $212,000.
Bivins said her retirement plan detoured that year when scammers made off with most of her savings after she received a seemingly insignificant notice about an unauthorized Amazon purchase. However, telephone fraudsters posing as U.S. government officials manipulated her using fear, threats of prosecution, isolation and building false trust to trick her into depositing her retirement savings in a ‘secure government locker’.
“I am committed to doing all I can to prevent this from happening to anyone else through sharing my story,” Bivins, a retired nurse, said. “I didn’t think anything like this would ever happen to me, but it did.”
The Adult Protective Services of the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) is an investigation unit designed to protect vulnerable adults, and provide protective services through support by local, county and state programs.
In 2022, APS investigated 5,374 reports of adult maltreatment and served over 4,300 elderly Montanans that were reported victims of abuse.
According to a recent AARP survey, incidents of fraud have exploded in recent years, with 2.4 million fraud reports and nearly $9 billion reported stolen in 2022.
“We know from surveys that fraud is one of the top concerns of Montanans 50-plus,” said Tim Summers, AARP Montana State Director. “We also know that information is a consumer’s best defense against becoming a victim. The key is awareness and constant vigilance.”
There are various ways to Montana’s can report issues such as suspicious scams or suspected elder abuse:
DPHHS: Adult Protective Services: To report abuse, neglect or exploitation call Adult Protective Services intake at 1-844-277-9300 or go to www.aps.mt.gov.
AARP: AARP Fraud Watch Helpline Website: www.aarp.org/FraudWatchNetwork [aarp.org] Phone: (877) 908-3360. If you’ve been targeted by scams or fraud, you are not alone. Our trained fraud specialists provide support and guidance on what to do next and how to avoid scams in the future. The AARP Fraud Helpline [aarp.org], 877-908-3360, is free and available to anyone. We also offer online support sessions [aarp.org] for further emotional support.
Montana Department of Justice: Montanans can report any phone, email, or mail scams to the Montana Department of Justice’s Office of Consumer Protection at contactocp@mt.gov, or 406-444-4500 (toll-free: 800-481-6896), or online at dojmt.gov/consumer.
Commissioner of Securities and Insurance (CSI): The CSI Financial Abuse Specialist Team (FAST) is available to provide a coordinated response to elder exploitation referrals with a time-sensitive, targeted evaluation by securities and insurance specialists. For more information visit csimt.gov/fast-team or call 406-444-2040.
