Elder Financial Abuse – Recognize it and prevent it

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June 15 is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day and the Alberta Securities Commission (ASC) is encouraging Albertans to be aware of the signs of elder financial abuse.

Elder abuse can manifest in various forms, including physical, emotional, neglect, and financial mistreatment. In Canada, financial abuse is the most prevalent type, often occurring following a crisis, the loss of a loved one, or a decline in physical or mental health, when individuals may be feeling vulnerable and isolated. Unfortunately, identifying financial abuse can be challenging. Financial abuse is often a pattern, rather than a single event, and may happen over a long period of time. It involves the illegal or unauthorized use of someone else’s money or property, which can range from forceful acts like theft or fraud to more subtle forms of pressure or deception. Victims of financial abuse, particularly when it involves friends or family members, may be reluctant to acknowledge or report the abuse, resulting in the abuse going unidentified.

Recognizing Warning Signs of Elder Financial Abuse

Being aware of the warning signs can help loved ones identify potential cases of elder financial abuse. Some signs that a senior may be experiencing financial exploitation include:

  • Unusual financial activity that does not align with their capabilities, such as online banking despite being unfamiliar with computers or making frequent ATM withdrawals despite mobility limitations.
  • Sudden liquidation of investments without a reasonable explanation.
  • Difficulty in contacting the person responsible for managing their finances.
  • Abrupt changes in living arrangements without apparent cause.
  • Emergence of a new close relationship, including romantic involvement, or a sudden shift in emotions towards a person or group.
  • Overly keen interest or involvement in the senior’s financial matters by a friend, family member, or caregiver.
  • Unwillingness to discuss financial matters or an unusual preoccupation with winning lotteries or sweepstakes.

Ways Seniors can Safeguard Their Finances:

Seniors can take proactive steps to protect themselves from financial abuse and support their well-being:

  • Foster social connections: Develop a network of trusted friends and relatives with whom you can openly discuss relationships and financial matters. If you feel someone is intruding excessively, pressuring you, or seeking unwarranted access to your finances, seek support from your trusted network.
  • Stay informed: Thoroughly research investment opportunities or sales pitches before entrusting your money to anyone. Consider consulting a registered financial advisor if you require assistance in managing your finances.
  • Monitor investments: Review financial statements or reports regularly. In case of any unfamiliar account activity, don’t hesitate to ask questions and seek clarification.
  • Appoint a Trusted Contact Person: Consider appointing a Trusted Contact Person. A Trusted Contact Person is someone you’ve given your financial advisor or firm permission to contact should the advisor suspect financial abuse or detect signs of cognitive decline.
  • Be cautious about sharing personal information: Exercise caution when asked to provide copies of sensitive information like driver’s licenses, social insurance numbers, or credit card details. Understand why the information is necessary and how it will be used.
  • Don’t allow anyone to remotely access/control your computer or phone: Be vigilant about protecting your computer or mobile phone from remote access. Be wary of any person trying to persuade you to download a program for your computer or install an app on your phone.
  • Educate yourself about investment scams: visit our Types of investment scams page or reach out to the ASC for information on common investment scams and strategies to avoid them.
  • Understand affinity fraud risks: Even if a close friend or family member recommends an investment opportunity, conduct independent research and don’t succumb to pressure to make immediate decisions.

 

For help or more information on elder financial abuse visit albertaelderabuse.ca

Naming a Trusted Contact Person: Why it Matters

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As we age, we may experience a decline in health or cognitive capacity that could result in difficulty making financial decisions independently. Unfortunately, relying on the help of family members, caregivers and friends can increase the risk of financial exploitation and fraud. One way to safeguard against potential future financial harm is by naming a Trusted Contact Person (TCP).

Who is a Trusted Contact Person?

If you invest with a financial institution or investment firm, your advisor is required to ask you about providing a Trusted Contact Person (TCP). The decision to name a TCP is optional and it’s your choice if you would like to name someone. Providing your advisor with consent to contact your TCP is similar to providing them with an emergency contact. Depending on the consent you provide, your advisor could contact your TCP in the following circumstances:

  • You cannot be reached after repeated attempts and where failure to contact you would be unusual
  • The advisor has concerns you are being financially exploited
  • The advisor has concerns about mental capacity as it relates to your ability to make financial decisions
  • Your advisor needs confirmation of your legal representative (e.g. power of attorney, executor, trustee)

For example, your advisor may contact your TCP when they cannot reach you because you have taken an extended vacation and forgot to inform them. Or, in more sensitive situations, your advisor may contact your TCP to ensure the validity of a request that they believe is out of character.

What can and can’t my Trusted Contact Person do?

A TCP’s sole purpose is to help safeguard your financial assets by being an additional resource to help your advisor make decisions that best protect your account. Your advisor might contact your TCP to discuss:

  • Concerns about your mental capacity and ability to make financial decisions
  • Signs of financial mistreatment or abuse they’ve observed
  • Concerns that you are being scammed

Your TCP is different than a power of attorney. A TCP is not permitted to manage your finances or make financial decisions on your behalf.

Who should be your Trusted Contact Person?

A TCP should be a mature family member or friend who you trust, and you should feel comfortable that they can handle difficult conversations about your personal situation if they arise. Consider choosing someone you know will protect your interests, is familiar with your support network, and is not typically involved in your financial decisions. You should also ensure the person you select agrees to take on the role and is comfortable talking to your advisor.

While naming a TCP on your account is optional and not a legal process, it can provide you valuable peace of mind knowing that your advisor has someone you trust to help safeguard your financial assets now and in the future.

To learn more about assigning a TCP to your accounts, please visit our Investing as you age page or speak to your registered advisor.

ASC highlights top investment risks for 2023

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The Alberta Securities Commission (ASC) has compiled a list of the top investment risks and potential scams to watch out for in 2023, based on investor complaints, ongoing investigations, and current enforcement trends.

1. Advice from fraudulent “finfluencers”

Many people look to social media for “how-to” information, and that includes when it comes to finding information about investing. There is an increasing trend of “finfluencers” on social media. These financial influencers use their large social media followings to discuss trends and share advice on topics related to finance and investing.

Some fraudsters act as finfluencers to purposefully promote deceitful investment information through schemes like:

  • Touting: promoting an investment without disclosing compensation
  • Scalping: promoting a stock to quickly drive up the price and then selling at the inflated price

Investors should exercise caution when considering investments promoted as a sure thing. And do thorough research on the company, offer and all parties involved before investing in anything promoted on social media.

Where can you go for information? Start with a Google search about the company and offer. Even if the offer isn’t fraudulent, it may not be right for you. It’s important to fully understand anything you’re investing in.

2. New (fake) friend alert

Any investor should be cautious of new friends offering investment opportunities, particularly related to cryptocurrency or forex trading. Fraudsters often use apps and social networking sites to build relationships and establish trust with strangers, before tailoring an investment scam to their needs and encouraging them to invest increasing amounts of money through professional-looking websites. Victims some times see early returns, but these are designed to create a false sense of credibility. Eventually, the victim can no longer access the website or withdraw their money and the fraudster gives excuses or stops communication altogether.

Always be cautious about sharing any personal information online or in person. Always take time to consider the source of the information and research the opportunity on your own or in consultation with a registered investment advisor.

3. Impersonating a regulatory agent

Investors should be aware of fraudsters impersonating regulatory agents. These fraudsters may pretend to be staff from the ASC or another regulatory agency, using the agency’s logo, name, picture, credentials and social media accounts. When impersonating a legitimate staff member they pressure investors into providing personal information or transferring money. It’s important to always verify the identity of the source and remember that the ASC will never request that an individual transfer money to the organization or to any staff member. To verify the legitimacy of a request, investors can check verified ASC social media accounts on our website and contact the ASC’s public inquiries office to confirm the legitimacy of any request they receive allegedly from the ASC.

4. Spoofed Websites

There is a growing trend of spoofed websites that imitate legitimate investment firms. Often these sites offer unrealistic rates of return. These sites can appear in internet searches alongside legitimate firms and often claim to be “registered with the CSA” or authorized to sell investments in Canada. To protect yourself, always check the registration of any advisor or organization. To learn how to spot the red flags of fake websites, visit the interactive SpotTheSpoof.ca website brought to you by the ASC.

5. Celebrity endorsements

Be cautious of celebrity endorsements for investment opportunities. While it’s common for legitimate businesses to use celebrities to endorse their products, fraudsters do as well. When you see a celebrity promoting an investment, it’s important to remember that they may be being paid to do so with little to no understanding of the investment they are promoting or their image might be being used without their knowledge or consent. Fraudsters will often mimic celebrity personas, adopt similar social media handles, create cloned websites, and manipulate quotes and images to make the endorsement appear genuine. Investors should be cautious of any investment opportunity that is promoted by a celebrity.

As the new year gets underway, it’s a good time to review your investing goals and brush up on your knowledge to protect yourself from scams. Always be vigilant for red flags of fraud and thoroughly research any investment before making a decision. If you suspect any suspicious investment offers, report them immediately to the ASC’s public inquiries office. To keep up to date throughout the year, consider signing up for the ASC’s Investor Newsletter.

Overcoming your behavioural biases when investing

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Investing is rife with choices, and sometimes to avoid the uncomfortable feeling of being overwhelmed, we choose the path of least resistance or go with our gut feeling; we rely on biases or mental shortcuts to guide our decision-making. Further, human behaviour is often influenced by our unconscious emotional and cognitive biases. These biases help our brains avoid becoming overwhelmed by the decisions we make each day. While these mental shortcuts may help us in some aspects of our lives, it’s important to recognize that investing wisely requires you to go beyond a “gut check”, to use sound investing principles and do thorough research.

To avoid falling for your own behavioural biases, let’s examine some common types you may recognize.

  • Status Quo bias:The status quo bias is the tendency to keep things as they are or “stick with what you know.” With respect to investing, this bias might not seem like a problem. However, avoiding risks associated with change or perhaps favouring what you’ve always done might also mean that you fail to take advantage of investment opportunities or examine and track your investments in relation to your financial goals, risk tolerance and time horizon.
  • Confirmation bias: One factor that reinforces the status quo bias is confirmation bias. Confirmation bias means that you seek out information that only confirms your beliefs. In investing, this might show up as having difficulty changing your view of a particular stock, even in the face of data supporting the opposite view.
  • Availability bias: Availability bias implies that people believe that an event that has occurred recently will occur again soon, regardless of the probability that it actually will. When something has occurred recently or has significantly impacted us, our brains are even less likely to correctly weigh the risk or probability that it will happen again. In investing, this may show up as making a rash investment decision based on a recent headline, advertisement, or story you heard from a friend causing you inadvertently to deviate from your financial plan.
  • Present Focus bias: It’s natural for people to focus on immediate and tangible things – when compared to planning your next vacation or saving for a new car, saving for your retirement or your child’s post-secondary education may feel abstract and out of reach. For example, you may not know how much money those things will cost in the future or you may feel uncertain about how your investment portfolio will perform over such a long time horizon. As a result, you might focus on putting money towards more immediate wants and needs to avoid the discomfort of the perceived unknown.

Investing with your instincts might be tempting or feel natural, but grounding your investment decisions on fundamental research and a long-term view of your investment goals can help you invest wisely. In addition to accessing the free and unbiased resources available through the Alberta Securities Commission’s CheckFirst.ca website, consider other ways you might reduce the impact of unconscious biases on your investment strategy, such as enlisting the services of a financial advisor or robo-advisor.