Contact: Rep. Terry Katsma
(608) 266-0656
Madison—Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel has released a new training video intended to educate financial industry professionals on how to spot and report financial abuse of senior citizens.
It has been estimated that only one in every 44 cases of elder financial abuse is ever reported.[1] The new ten-minute video released today—produced by the Wisconsin Department of Justice with assistance from the Wisconsin Bankers Association, the Wisconsin Credit Union League, the Attorney General’s Task Force on Elder Abuse and the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions—explains some common indicators of financial exploitation.
“I applaud Attorney General Schimel for drawing attention to this issue,” said Representative Terry Katsma (R–Oostburg). “Financial abuse of vulnerable citizens has been on the rise, and this new resource is very helpful for learning to recognize and report abuse. State agencies and private partners such as banks and credit unions have been doing an incredible job in the past few years to improve financial literacy across our entire population; this latest effort is a great example of their cooperation to address a challenge that exists in every community.”
The Department of Justice has compiled many additional resources for protecting seniors against abuse of all kinds online at www.ReportElderAbuseWI.org. To report suspected abuse, contact your county elder adult-at-risk agency or call (800) 488-3780.
