The Pennsylvania Department of Aging has formed the Financial Abuse Specialist Team to investigate the financial exploitation of older residents.
The four-person team — known as FAST — will support Area Agencies on Aging and help obtain justice for older Pennsylvanians, according to the state.
Financial exploitation ranks in the top three types of elder abuse reported to the Department of Aging, according to the state. It can be property theft, misuse of income or assets, misuse of Power of Attorney; or various scams including medical, contractor, grandchild imposter emergencies, Social Security or IRS, fake charities, gift card scams, pension poaching and more.
The Department of Aging also unveiled a financial exploitation website that features information on the topic and launched a new online elder abuse awareness training.
Anyone suspecting elder abuse should call the 24-7 statewide reporting hotline at 1-800-490-8505.