As the elderly population in Britain continues to grow, there has been a disturbing increase in financial abuse targeting older people, often perpetrated by those closest to them, including family members and caregivers. With over a quarter of individuals aged 65 and above in England requiring some form of social care, the risk of exploitation is alarmingly high, as revealed by evidence uncovered by ITV's Tonight programme.
Widespread Problem
Lawyer Ann Stanyer, an expert on the issue, stated: "I think financial abuse of the elderly is much more widespread than we realise." The programme highlighted several harrowing cases, including that of Barbara Wilcox, 87, and her late husband John, a successful businessman who developed vascular dementia. John had a long and loving relationship with Barbara and had treated her two children and three grandchildren from her first marriage as his own. Barbara, from Wales, said: "All he wanted to do was look after me and that's what he did for 40-odd years. The eldest of the grandchildren, Amy, was the apple of his eye."
However, the dementia altered John's behaviour, making him aggressive towards Barbara. He then turned to Amy, and it was agreed he would move to a care home near her in Devon, 120 miles from his wife. Barbara soon received text messages stating she no longer had any say in her husband's care. A call to the care home revealed John, whose assets were worth £1.5 million, was no longer living there, and Barbara learned he had made Amy his lasting power of attorney (LPA).
Legal Loopholes
Ms Stanyer explained: "It gives decision-making power to another person, so they can manage your affairs. If I had a client who had a vascular dementia diagnosis, I would instruct an experienced capacity assessor to ensure that client knew what they were signing. I would definitely get a psychiatrist to do that." Barbara later discovered John had also changed his will, leaving everything in a trust for Amy. However, there was nothing unlawful in the arrangement of the LPA or the will. Amy then refused to tell the rest of the family where John was. Barbara said: "I thought I wouldn't ever see him again."
Barbara's daughter confronted Amy and found John living in a hotel with no cleaning provisions and little food. "He was living on ready-meals. I walked in there and he just looked. He was lying on the bed and he said, 'Oh, Mrs Wilcox'. I said, 'Do you want to come home?' He said, 'Yes, I do'," she recounted. It later emerged that Amy had taken more than £5,000 from John's account, leading to a police caution for fraud. Barbara asked the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) to blacklist Amy and prevent her from being an attorney to anyone else. She said: "They said, 'Oh, we can't do that'. I thought, 'That's crazy'." An OPG spokesman told Tonight: "We recognise the serious harm that economic abuse can cause. Where evidence emerges that an attorney is acting improperly or poses a risk, we will investigate and refer cases to the Court of Protection to suspend or remove attorneys."
Another Case
John's story is not unique. Verna, 83, turned detective when her cousin Rita Barnsley, 85, who was single and childless, died. Rita had been admitted to the Amberley Care Home in Dudley, West Midlands, in 2020 after a fall. Verna became suspicious when she stopped being able to speak to her on the phone. "There was always an excuse why I couldn't," she said. In August 2021, Rita died, and when Verna was sent a copy of her will, she knew something was badly wrong. "At the bottom where she signed it, it's little writing. I knew that Rita hadn't done it," Verna stated.
It emerged that care-home manager Jamiel Slaney-Summers had targeted Rita, isolating her from her only surviving relative. She was jailed for five-and-a-half years for forging Rita's will and attempting to steal her £175,000 estate. Graham and Lyn Walker, who owned the care home, were sentenced to three years each. Verna said: "It was awful. I still don't know where her ashes are."
Charity Concerns
Richard Robinson, CEO of the Hourglass charity, said: "We believe 2.7 million people a year are affected by the abuse of older people." Paul Farmer of Age UK added: "We worry the scale of this is greater." Trading Standards can prosecute social care providers for criminal offences. One branch has formed a specialist unit, the West Yorkshire Financial Exploitation and Abuse Team (WYFEAT), to investigate allegations. In March, its biggest prosecution saw care provider Peter Hunter jailed for six years for fraud. He had stolen more than £330,000 by manipulating three elderly clients into giving him power of attorney. WYFEAT's Krystal Delaney said: "I feel we were able to get justice for those families. And he's now taken off the streets so he can no longer offend."
Cashing In On The Elderly: Who To Trust? is on ITV tonight at 7.30pm.
Who to Call If You're at Risk
If you or someone elderly you know is in danger of financial abuse, call 999 in an emergency, otherwise dial 101. You can contact Report Fraud at reportfraud.police.uk or on 0300 123 2040. Hourglass offers support via wearehourglass.org or on 0808 808 8141.
