San Francisco Summit Honors Leaders in Elder Financial Abuse Prevention

300 advocates gather to share best practices

SAN FRANCISCO — A geriatric physician, a lawyer, a retired L.A. police detective and a banker received awards last Thursday for their work in combating financial crimes against the elderly.

Dr. Laura Mosqueda of UC Irvine, Prescott Cole, senior attorney for California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, Chayo Reyes, retired LAPD detective, and Roberta Wong of Bank of the West were honored by San Francisco based nonprofit Elder Financial Protection Network (EFPN) for their work in fighting the growing crime of elder financial abuse.

“A growing subset of our senior population are becoming victims of financial fraud,” said San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris, who opened “Call to Action 2008”, EFPN’s fourth annual conference in the Carnelian Room-Bankers Club.

The event drew 300 law enforcement officials, financial services executives, elder advocates and social service representatives from throughout California and the West Coast. Among the speakers: California State Treasurer Bill Lockyer, who during his tenure as state attorney general dramatically expanded support for investigating and prosecuting crimes against the elderly; Bill Cheney, president of the California Credit Union League; and Bob Blancato, national coordinator of the Elder Justice Coalition, which is seeking passage of the Elder Justice Act.

Call to Action 2008- last chance to register!

The online silent auction is now live!

We’re looking forward to another extraordinary Call To Action event this Thursday! The morning conference will include luminaries such as litigation pioneer and former San Francisco City Attorney, Louise Renne, nationally-acclaimed elder abuse consultant, Lisa Nerenberg, longtime elder abuse advocate, Helen Karr, Esq.; and dynamic civil rights attorney, Liza De Vries,   In addition, a number of distinguished speakers are slated to speak at the luncheon including the Honorable Bill Lockyer, California State Treasurer; Bob Blancato, Elder Justice Coalition; and Bill Cheney, California/Nevada Credit Union Leagues and the wonderful StageBridge theatre group will perform. All will be presenting informative sessions addressing the latest trends in elder abuse prevention, litigation, legislation and prosecution.

Also, we’re excited to announce that an online silent auction is now live! Visit www.bewiseonline.cmarket.com to bid on a fabulous and diverse collection of elegant wines, exotic New Zealand accommodation, recreation offerings and more! The silent auction will continue at the Call to Action event and bidding will close at midnight on Sunday, April 13, 2008.

Call To Action is expected to sell out, but there are still a few tickets available, so register online today at http://www.bewiseonline.org or call 415.956.5556 to reserve your seat.

Note:  Thanks to our very generous sponsors, a few scholarship seats are still available for low income, or budget-challenged individuals. Call 415-956-5556 for more information.

This is going to be a great day and we look forward to seeing you there!

Curriculum & Presenters

Confronting Elder Financial Abuse:
Building Bridges~Sharing Best Practices

Tickets and tables are selling fast!
Registration is open and sponsorships are still available.

EFPN is proud to announce the curriculum and presenters for the 2008 Call to Action conference. This year we are pleased to present four discussion panels and an interactive workshop for financial institution representatives.

Full curriculum and presenter information

Elder Financial Protection Network moves to San Francisco

The Elder Financial Protection Network, based in Novato since its inception, has moved its offices to San Francisco’s Financial District. The new office space is being donated by EFPN founding partner, First Bank.

The new location is 550 Montgomery St., Suite 485, San Francisco, CA 94111. EFPN may be reached by phone at 415.956.5556 and by fax at 415.956.5559. The Web site remains the same, www.bewiseonline.org.

The move to the historic First Bank building follows the expansion of the nonprofit organization’s reach outside the Bay Area. “For the past eight years, EFPN has been working with financial institutions, adult social service agencies, law enforcement organizations, senior groups and the public throughout California to raise awareness and step up the prevention, reporting and prosecution of financial crimes that target the elderly,” said Founder & CEO Jenefer Duane. EFPN is currently developing several new initiatives and plans to expand its advocacy to several other Western states in 2008.

The growing numbers of elders – and in many cases the increasing value of their assets – has left many prey to identify theft and scams as well as dishonest family members, caregivers and unscrupulous sales people. Victims of elder abuse, neglect and financial exploitation rarely recover financially and losses often lead to depression, physical decline, reliance on public benefits and even death; victims are 3.1 times more likely to die at an earlier age than those who are not abused or exploited.
www.bewiseonline.org

Fall Newsletter - EFPN Partnerships Save Lives and Livelihoods

As they left the bank, the elder man thanked him for helping them to not become victims of this potentially devastating scam.

Nothing is more gratifying than hearing from our partners and from elders themselves about how our work has made a difference by preventing a loss or, in the case below, even saving a life. EFPN’s partners are passionate and dedicated to our mission. We are truly blessed to work with such fine people who represent financial institutions that repeatedly go far beyond the call of duty to protect their elder customers and members.

This summer, we received a report from a credit union security supervisor in San Mateo. Her call center staff had taken a call from

Fall Newsletter - Elder Financial Literacy: Prevention Through Education

“It was worth a million dollars!!!” wrote one of 190 seniors who participated in an EFPN community education program presented in Fresno last month. This year alone, several thousand California seniors learned how elder financial abuse is perpetrated, how it can be prevented, and how it should be reported thanks to educational programs made possible by our sponsoring partners and foundation grants. Helen Karr, an elder abuse specialist in the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, believes that elder financial literacy is critical in the fight against this crime.

Fall Newsletter - Staff Training Materials On Sale!

EFPN’s award-winning ‘Be Wise’ video training program is only $59 or 2/$99. (The regular price is $149 each.) Purchasers of the training
program will be entitled to an additional 10% off ‘Be Wise’ consumer brochures, statement stuffers and other educational materials. To order, contact Western Payments Alliance at www.wespay.org or 415.433.1230, or call EFPN at 415.956.5556 for more information. This offer expires January 30th,

Proceeds from the sales of staff training and consumer materials provide much-needed operational support for our programs to prevent elder financial abuse & exploitation.

Fall Newsletter - Prosecutor’s Perspective

“A lifetime of generosity can also make seniors prey to phony charity pitches”.

Financial abuse of elders is on the rise, says veteran San Francisco prosecutor Alan Kennedy, an Assistant District Attorney in the office of District Attorney Kamala Harris. Kennedy heads the office’s Elder Abuse Unit. Both anecdotally and statistically, he said, the financial bilking of seniors has increased markedly in the past three to four years. And, he predicts, it’s going to get worse if for no other reason than demographics. “Starting in 2011 there will be a huge group of people becoming elders.”

California seniors are particularly attractive to perpetrators.

Fall Newsletter - Legislative Action

By Nick Warner, EFPN Legislative Analyst,
Managing Partner, Warner & Pank, LLC

Warner & Pank, LLC, monitors and advises EFPN on law and legislation related to elder financial issues. Our firm assists EFPN staff and board members in building our coalition with key partners in law enforcement, adult protective services and legislative and regulatory communities.

EFPN’s Fall 2007 Newsletter - Chairman’s Message

As the year comes to a close, we would like to thank our valued partners for your continued support. Your generous contributions enable us to carry out our mission to protect elders from financial abuse and exploitation.

This year, in addition to producing the successful
Call To Action event, EFPN conducted over 40 community education seminars in nine California counties. We also welcomed new board member Juli Anne Callis, who is