Probate / Elder Fraud

Activists say the lack of regulation or DAs prosecuting probate fraud, only creates a breeding ground for more crimes.

Having assets, especially money, only make you more vulnerable to predators.

"...greedy professional guardians can wreak havoc on a far larger scale. In many states, such as Florida, there are few prerequisites for entering the guardianship business: no special training, no licensing process, no enforceable professional standards." AARP Magazine January/February 2004 issue.

Below are the two types of probate fraud and both have devastating consequences.

Family-on-family crime. The victims say when the thief / predator / con is a family member, you can forget about getting justice. The common weapon in family on family crimes is a Power of Attorney. Most victims report that prosecutors, and or, law enforcement, say to them: "We don't get involved in family matters."

Probate System/Courts. Victims of this type of fraud call it the Probate Pit. Your life's savings is stripped by greedy public / court appointed guardians, who strip the victim's assets. Probate judges are contributing to the fraud by refusing to allow auditors, according to AARP, a national organization focused on senior issues.

Family members say their pleas for justice are met with prosecutors / attorneys / judges accusing them of being greedy or accusing them of vile acts against the elderly and claim that is why a public guardian or court appointed private guardian must take control.

Explore These Pages

Others that came to this web site, found the following pages helpful:

Mortgage Fraud

Mortgage fraud is robbery without a gun. It ranges from loan orignation fraud to mortgage servicing fraud, to mortgage broker fraud.

Foreclosure Fraud

Foreclosure scams are common and the perpetraitors are experienced at manipulating and coniving to dupe you out of your home. WJFA shows you all the common scams used by deceitful people presenting themselves as wanting to help you.

Plan for Building Good Credit

Fraud Victims experience hurdles rebuilding their lives after some criminal destroyed our life-time of work in good standing. WJFA provides steps to improve your score.

Power of Attorney: Weapon of Choice for Thieves

It is costly, near impossible to undo the fraud, and your chances for justice are zero. It the Power of Attorney and its the most commonly used way to fraud people, especially the elderly.

This article discusses what constitutes power of attorney fraud and the problems inherent in such cases. It also offers advice in handling these cases. Finally, it suggests ways to decrease the number of financial exploitation crimes.

The Perfect Crime

When Kathy and Paul Fox used a homemade power of attorney to to transfer all of Rob and LaVerne's estate into the Fox's accounts, the children learned too late the worst action they took was seeking help from El Dorado County's Public Guardian Sally Liedholm, who was up to her eyebrows in scandal and allegations of misappropriating funds.

"I can't say the system failed our family," said Kirk, the son of Rob and LaVerne. "Because that makes it sound like they tried to help but failed. No, the system reared its ugly head, smacked us down for daring to seek justice."

Power of Attorney Abuse

Deborah Sue Owen, who is blind, says she trusted her family, so she gave a power of attorney to her mother. She also believed she was safe from predators because there would be justice for the bad guys. She was wrong on both beliefs.

Use of a power of attorney to commit fraud is so common, it is epidemic. Yet, prosecutors commonly tell victims, "We don't get involved in family matters." In Sue's case, she lost her home, and now accuses her mother of duping her.

For Love or Money

Brooke Astor has had it all: Married with children, social life, great philanthropy work, and a long life, and still alive at 104 years old.

She's the heir of the banking giant, J.P. Morgan, who created Chase Manhattan Bank.

But now, instead of adorning the front pages of the New York Times as the socialite and then philanthropist, she's become the poster child for elder abuse.

Failed Probate System

No Justice for Frank Jackson is a sad commentary about the unchecked conditions with Public Guardians and family law courts.

Frank Jackson's family says that the "System Failed Us." Frank was lost in the system that was supposed to help the ailing elderly man. The Public Guardian mismanaged and misappropriated his assets and city officials destroyed his home. No one has been prosecuted or held accountable. Justice Denied.

Probate Pit

Colonel Farrel Hupp proudly served his country in World War II and for decades thereafter. But his country failed him when he had a bad day that turned into a life-time of misery because he fell through the cracks in the Probate Court system.

Adult Guardianship = Abuse and Fraud

Florida activists have organized to stop the predatory practices of guardianships, adult protective services, and the exploitation of the elderly.

(Note: WJFA is not affliated with this group, nor does WJFA have sufficient information to confirm or dismiss the group's position.)

Warning!

Under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, it is a felony offense to steal, plagerize, material from this web site.

There is a blog calledThe Criminal Side of Probate. It has stolen a bunch of stories from WJFA. The blog owner, Latifa Ring, of Houston, Texas, refuses to remove the stolen stories telling WJFA that "a stranger must of put it there and she cannot access it." That begets the question, why hasn't Latifa Ring made Google removed the stolen stories?

WJFA has decided to start pursuing action against thieves stealing our stories.

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