US Takes Action to Combat Elder Abuse as Part of World Awareness Day

From the U.S. Postal Service, the United Nations, to private senior centers, nationwide efforts to combat elder abuse have come back into focus across the United States with the reminder of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. In its 18th year, the international campaign is observed worldwide every year on June 15. The U.N. has globally themed this year’s World Elder Abuse Awareness Day as “Older Persons in Emergencies,” but in the United States, much of the focus is on financial scams against America’s senior citizens, including a federal crackdown on what’s called money mules. According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), money mules use a range of fake claims—from false promises of companionship to made-up emergencies involving a loved one—to dupe the elderly into sending money to fraudsters. They typically operate in countries outside the United States....