Elder abuse is on the rise. With an aging population and increasing isolation following the pandemic, seniors are more vulnerable than ever.
In March 2021, Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star, Jen Shah, was arrested alongside her business partner Stuart Smith and charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. The drama played out on the reality TV show and revealed a telemarketing scam that generated “leads” of elderly people that Shah, Smith, and others targeted for exploitation. Sadly, Jen Shah’s case is only one of thousands: over $500 million was lost in 2020 alone as a result of financial exploitation of the elderly. The US Department of Justice and local prosecutors have tamped down on these crimes.
Reminger’s litigators have successfully used probate actions to recover assets civilly for victims and their families. This presentation will look at Jen Shah’s crimes, common financial abuse scams against the elderly including red flags to look for, and some examples from our own probate practice of recovery against the scammers.
