Western District of Missouri Recognizes World Elder Abuse Awareness Day

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Honorable R. Matthew Price, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, joined national, state, and local leaders in recognizing World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) on June 15, 2026. Since 2006, WEAAD has been commemorated to promote awareness and increase understanding of the many forms of elder abuse as well as the resources available to those at risk.

“Seniors are among the most likely to be targeted by fraud, false billing scams, and abuse. Financial exploitation is the most common form of elder abuse and is estimated to cost older adults more than $25 billion every year,” stated U.S. Attorney Price. “Combatting elder fraud and abuse is a top priority for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Department of Justice, and our law enforcement partners. As part of our elder justice initiative, my office has expanded our fraud and forfeiture practice, focusing on prosecuting offenders and seizing assets to be returned to victims. Everyone can protect their loved ones and the community by reporting instances of elder abuse when they see it.”  

Elder abuse is an act that knowingly, intentionally, or negligently causes or creates a serious risk of harm to an older person by a family member, caregiver, or other person in a trusted relationship. Such harm may be financial, physical, sexual, or psychological. The Justice Department maintains a variety of programs and initiatives to combat elder abuse.

The Transnational Elder Fraud Task Force marshals federal and state agencies working collaboratively to investigate and prosecute foreign-based schemes that target older Americans. In addition to aggressively investigating the individuals, organizations, and networks responsible for these crimes, this initiative provides the public with information to guard against both traditional scams, like tech support fraud, as well as trending schemes.

Using one scam to perpetrate or conceal another, some fraudsters rely on money mules to move the proceeds of their illegal activity. Preying on the goodwill or financial vulnerability of their targets, scammers recruit people, many times older victims, to participate in schemes to move money in ways that avoid notice. The Money Mule Initiative identifies and addresses money mule activity to disrupt these fraud schemes and helps people to recognize and avoid participation in perpetuating fraud.

To help older individuals and their families identify and avoid fraudulent activity, the Justice Department provides Senior Scam Alerts with information about the tactics used in specific schemes. For example, in Social Security Administration Impostor Schemes, scammers impersonate government employees and falsely report suspicious activity to request that potential victims provide their Social Security numbers for confirmation. In Tech Support scams, fraudsters contact victims, sometimes through internet pop-up messages, to warn about non-existent computer problems, ask the victim to give them remote access to their computer to identify a fake problem, and then demand large sums of money for unnecessary services. In lottery scams, telemarketers falsely notify victims that they have won sweepstakes and tell them they must first pay fees for shipping, insurance, customs duties, or taxes before they can claim their prizes.

To learn more about the Justice Department’s elder justice efforts please visit the Elder Justice Initiative page.

The U.S Attorney’s Office continues to work with federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute elder abuse crimes. Additionally, the office consistently works with courageous whistleblowers who provide vital information to protect people and the community from fraud and abuse that targets the elderly.

Examples of cases protecting elder members of our community prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office in 2025 and 2026 include the following:

• In May 2026, United States Attorney R. Matthew Price awarded the Hometown Heroes Award to United States Postal Inspection Service inspectors who intercept mail packages sent by elderly victims to scammers and return them to the victims. The packages contain cash, money orders, gift cards, and credit cards that victims send at the direction of scammers. 
• In May 2026, Syed Makki, an Indian national, was sentenced to 15½ years’ imprisonment for his role in a government imposter wire fraud conspiracy in which he picked up gold bars worth millions from elderly victims throughout the country.
• In May 2026, Amanda Rutherford, 46, of Junction City, Kan., was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment for stealing firearms and collector coins from an elderly couple for whom she claimed to be a caregiver, and sold those coins in Clay County, Mo.
• In February 2026, Peter A. Lee, an attorney in Stockton, Mo., pleaded guilty to wire fraud for defrauding vulnerable clients, including the elderly, of funds for his personal gain.  The clients he defrauded included decedent estates and a special needs trust. From January 2019 through February 2025, Lee obtained $296,140 in client funds.  
• In December 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office filed a civil forfeiture complaint against $1.2 million in digital currency seized in connection with fraudulent online investment schemes called TMGM and NEEX, that targeted older victims and others. 
• In July 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office seized more than $325,000 in cryptocurrency connected to an online investment scam called Triangular, that targeted older victims and others. 

 To report elder fraud, contact the dedicated National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 or 1-833-372-8311 and visit the FBI’s IC3 Elder Fraud Complaint Center at IC3.gov.