We've all heard stories of a grandmother who was swindled out of thousands of dollars for home repairs that were never made. Equally common are instances in which an elderly person repeatedly purchases products of dubious value from the same "friendly" telemarketer. Sometimes, the culprit is a family member – perhaps a gambling- or drug-addicted adult child who influences an aging parent, time and again, to bail them out of their financial crises.

The elderly are particularly vulnerable to scams or to financial abuse. This can be very difficult to detect, but there are warning signs to watch for to help protect your elderly parents or other family members.