Devastated about the loss of a high school friend, 79-year-old Karen Whitaker shared the information on Facebook. Shortly after, someone reached out claiming to be Tom Selleck and saying they had a relationship with her friend. Karen, coping with the loss, felt a connection and shared her phone number with the celebrity impersonator.
The scammer continued to groom Karen. Her communication with the scammer grew, despite warnings from friends and family who even cut up her credit cards.
“Of course, immediately we said, ‘No, that’s not Tom Selleck. This is a scam,'” Joy Miedecke, a longtime friend, told NBC News in a May 22 interview. “But she wouldn’t believe anybody.”
The scammer swindled at least $30,000 from Karen. The financial stress and embarrassment of Karen asking friends for money for Tom Selleck began to weigh on her husband, Donald. Sadly, they were found in dead in an apparent murder-suicide.
Learn more from NBC News.
June is World Elder Abuse Month
Reports indicate that roughly 1 in 5 Americans over the age of 65 is targeted or victimized by financial swindles, which results in tens of billions of dollars in losses annually.
A report, just released, shows that fraud is escalating rapidly, especially in Nashville, Knoxville and Memphis.
Association Sponsors League System’s First Fully Customizable Elder Exploitation Prevention Toolkit
Ensure your credit union members know how to identify financial scams. The Tennessee and Mississippi Credit Union Association is proud to work with the League System to introduce the Elder Exploitation Prevention Toolkit. The complimentary toolkit is available for credit unions to customize and help educate members on elder exploitation.
“Helping credit unions to fight elder financial exploitation is essential to our mission,” said Fred Robinson, president and CEO of the Tennessee and Mississippi Credit Union Association. “We are honored to share our elder financial exploitation checklist and other materials to develop a fully-customizable Elder Financial Exploitation Toolkit that can be used by credit unions nationwide to educate members.”
The Elder Exploitation Prevention Toolkit is a comprehensive, ready-to-use resource designed to support credit unions efforts to fight elder financial fraud through staff support, member education and community awareness.
Fully customizable, the toolkit can be easily implemented across member communications, staff training programs and community outreach efforts.
What’s Included in the Toolkit:
- Member-facing educational content to raise awareness
- Social media and outreach materials for community engagement
- Staff guides, checklists, and conversation starters
- Practical tools to support frontline teams
Credit unions are encouraged to use the toolkit during June’s Elder Abuse Awareness Month or at any time throughout the year that aligns with their outreach efforts.
