Center for Elder Law & Justice's Senior Financial Safety Tool

The Office for Victims of Crime is committed to enhancing the nation’s capacity to assist crime victims and provide leadership in changing attitudes, policies, and practices to promote justice and healing for all victims of crime. Through the FY 2018 Field-Generated Innovations in Addressing Elder Financial Exploitation solicitation, OVC seeks to support projects which focus on elder financial exploitation through innovative collaborations between the financial industry and others to better detect and respond to victims. These efforts should build the capacity of victim service providers and financial industry representatives to enhance fraud detection and provide trauma-informed, age-appropriate services and resources for victims.

With this award, the Center for Elder Law & Justice (CELJ) will design, develop, and test a standalone technology tool called the Senior Financial Safety Tool (SFST). This project will be achieved through collaboration with Pro Bono Net, Lake Shore Savings Bank, and Erie County Adult Protective Services. Using branch logic and risk detecting technology, the SFST will allow bank staff to do a quick assessment with older customers and generate a direct referral to CELJ and local enhanced multidisciplinary teams. The SFST will provide a practical and replicable method for financial institutions and service providers to work together to address and prevent elder financial exploitation. The development of the tool will seek to break down perceived barriers to financial institutions and external service providers working together to report and address abuse.

CA/NCF