Elder Abuse & Crime

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Older adult receiving support from EVRC

If you are an older adult who has been experienced elder abuse or another crime, you are not alone.

Elder abuse is perpetrated by a trusted individual and can be financial, physical, emotional/psychological, sexual, and caregiver neglect.

To support those impacted by elder abuse, NYC Aging partners with community-based Elder Justice programs in each borough who provide services and support.

Services can include, but are not limited to:

  • Case consultations and assistance
  • Crisis intervention and safety planning
  • Shelter referral
  • Counseling
  • Virtual or in-home assessments
  • Assistance navigating the court systems, such as Family, Criminal, and/or Housing courts.

Elderly Crime Victims Resource Center

NYC Aging’s Elderly Crime Victims Resource Center (ECVRC) helps older adults impacted by crimes such as financial scams and theft, robberies, harassment, and physical assaults. Some of the services that are provided include:

  • Safety planning and crisis intervention
  • Connecting with law enforcement and legal services
  • Referrals to mental health services.

ECVRC also helps older adults complete applications to the NY State Office of Victims Services (OVS) for potential reimbursement of crime-related losses and expenses.

If you or someone you know has been impacted by a crime, call Aging Connect at 212-AGING-NYC (212-244-6469) to be connected to ECVRC.

Be scam aware!

Criminals may target older adults to steal money or personal information through a variety of scams. Some common scams include government impersonation (claiming to be from IRS or Social Security), gift card scams, charity and lottery scams, “grandchild in trouble” scam, tech support and other computer-based scams.

Remember, never give your personal or financial information to unknown callers, and always safeguard your social security number and Medicare/Medicaid information. When in doubt, hang up.

Learn more about common scams and how to protect yourself with the following resources:

NYPD Scam Spotting : NYPD general scam spotting flyer: Scam Alert Flyer Final v3 (nyc.gov)

NYPD Identity Theft Prevention: NYPD Identity Theft prevention: identity theft final (nyc.gov)

Federal Trade Commission Gift Card Scam Awareness: FTC Gift Card Scam awareness flyer: Hang Up On Gift Card Scams

National Council on Aging’s “Avoid Scams and Fraud for Older Adults”: Avoiding Scams and Fraud for Older Adults (ncoa.org)