Skip Ribbon Commands
Skip to main content

Apply for Services Link Link to Career Page

LinkButton :

Skip navigation linksHome > Services > Prevention and Protection Services

main content

Prevention and Protection Services Financial Scams and Exploitation

Image of women on phone with text stop. verify. report.
​​
Image of text 'Stop'
​​
Don’t give out your inf​ormation. Hang up the phone, don’t click on buttons or links, a​nd don’t respond to messages from potential scammers.

Scammers will employ a sense of urgency to get you to act quickly without thinking. Avoid falling for these tactics by exercising caution always and ​never agreeing to any urgent requests or demands for money.

Image of text 'Verify'


Check if the person trying to reach you is legitimate by verifying the source. Asking for help from someone you trust, like your bank, your family, or your friends, will help to relieve some of the stress of the situation and ensure you locate the right information.

If you receive any kind of communication from someone claiming to be associated with a business or organization, contact that company’s customer support through a verified website or phone number and ask the company to verify the person as their employee.

Image of text 'Report'

​​If you or someone y​ou know has been scammed or may be at risk of exploitation, call the Kansas Protection Report Center hotline at 1-800-922-5330.

Reporting scam activity helps improve efforts to shut down scams and scammers and prevent future scam victims. Financial scams are everyone’s business.​

​ ​​
Image of Contact Number 18009225330 for Kansas Protection Report Center
​​
Scammers are becoming more and more sophisticated.

There is no shame in falling victim to financial exploitation.


One of the best defenses for prevention is educating yourself and others about what financial scams look like, tactics scammers will try, and knowing your rights because financial scams are everyone’s business.


Learn more below.​
​​
Image of 2 women looking at the tablet together

​​​​​​​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​​​​​
​   What is Financi​al ​Exploitation?​​
​   What Do I Do if I’ve Been Scammed?​
​   It’s Your Right​
​   Common Types of Scams
​   How to Protect Yourself
​   Get More Help
   ​Learn ​​​More About Adult Protecti​ve Services​
 
​​
​​What is Financial Exploitation?​

Financial exploitation is the illegal or improper use of another person’s money or property for personal profit or gain.

The following Kansas statutes explain in detail the definition of financial exploitation of certain adults and the circumstances considered mistreatment of a dependent or elder adult:

 
KSA 39-1430 - Abuse, neglect or financial exploitation of certain adults; definition of Financial exploitation

​(e) "Financial exploitation" means the unlawful or improper use, control or withholding of an adult's property, income, resources or trust funds by any other person or entity in a manner that is not for the profit of or to the advantage of the adult. "Financial exploitation" includes, but is not limited to:

      1. The use of deception, intimidation, coercion, extortion or undue influence by a person or entity to obtain or use an adult's property, income, resources or trust funds in a manner for the profit of or to the advantage of such person or entity;
      2. the breach of a fiduciary duty, including, but not limited to, the misuse of a power of attorney, trust or a guardianship or conservatorship appointment, as it relates to the property, income, resources or trust funds of the adult; or
      3. the obtainment or use of an adult's property, income, resources or trust funds, without lawful authority, by a person or entity who or trust funds.

 
KSA 21-5417 - Mistreatm​ent of a dependent adult; mistreatment of an elder person.

(a) Mistreatment of a dependent adult or an elder person is knowingly committing one or more of the following acts:
(2) taking the personal property or financial resources of a dependent adult or an elder person for the benefit of the defendant or another person by taking control, title, use or management of the personal property or financial resources of a dependent adult or an elder person through:

      1. ​​​​​Undue influence, coercion, harassment, duress, deception, false representation, false pretense or without adequate consideration to such dependent adult or elder person;
      2. a violation of the Kansas power of attorney act, K.S.A. 58-650 et seq., and amendments thereto;
      3. a violation of the Kansas uniform trust code, K.S.A. 58a-101 et seq., and amendments thereto; or
      4. a violation of the act for obtaining a guardian or a conservator, or both, K.S.A. 59-3050​ et seq., and amendments thereto​


 ​​
What Do I Do if I’ve Been Scammed?

                              ​             
STOP. VERIFY. REPORT.

 


Get more help image link​​​​​​​​​​​




​​It’s Your Right
 
Financial scammers are everywhere, but you have the ability and the right to avoid them.
 
It’s your right to not engage. It’s OK to hang up the phone, throw away a piece of mail, or simply say, “No, thank you.”
 
Exercise caution and trust your instincts. If something seems concerning, out of place, or ‘too good to be true,’ it’s your right to seek independent verification of the person or business contacting you; it’s your right to say ‘no’ to requests for money from anyone; and it's your right to terminate contact with the individual or business.

Image of a woman on phone, disconnecting the unknown caller call

Common Types of Scams

Sweepstakes, Charity, Lottery Scam – Perpetrators claim to work for a charitable organization to gain victim’s trust, or claims victim won a lottery or sweepstakes, which they can collect by paying a “fee”.  
​​​​​​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​Phone screen image showing scam message as 'Urgent your account is compromised and will be disconnected due to non payment

Romance Scam – Perpetrators pose as interested romantic partners on social media or dating websites. 
 
Tech Support Scam – Perpetrators pose as technology support representative and offer to fix non-existent computer issues for money.
Government Impersonation Scam – Perpetrators pose as government employees and threaten to arrest or prosecute victims unless they agree to pay. 
 
IRS Scam – Perpetrators claim victim owes money for unpaid taxes or missed paperwork deadline.
Grandparent Scam – Perpetrators pose as a relative, usually a child or grandchild, claiming to be in immediate financial need.
 
 
 
How to Protect Yourself

Make sure you know how to spot and stop a scam.

Image of Timer ​Resist pressure to act quickly – a sense of urgency is a common scam tactic.
Image of ID card Never give out personal identifying information over the phone, unless  you initiated the call with a trusted organization.​
Image of dollar/Money with wings
Avoid any arrangement that asks you to pay up-front via money order, wire transfer, international fund transfer, pre-loaded card, or electronic currency (i.e., bitcoin).​
Image of Phone Call Vibration
If you do not recognize a telephone number on caller ID, you do not have to answer the phone. Legitimate callers will leave you a message. If you’re unsure, look up the telephone number in a directory.
Image of open email
If you received an email asking you to handle financial business via email, contact the company’s customer support through a verified website or phone number and ask the company to verify the person as their employee.

Image of cash (few dollars)
No legitimate law enforcement agency or business will ask you to pay for anything via gift card or cash. NEVER mail or wire transfer money to anyone.
 

  
 
Get More Help

Every year, thousands of older adults in Kansas become victims of financial exploitation, jeopardizing their financial independence.

Use free or affordable services to manage your finances and contact information and to help you avoid or correct the harmful effects of financial exploitation.

Free Credit Reports 
Annual Credit Report Request Service 
P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA, 30348-5281 
1-877-322-8228   
 
 
Credit Bureaus/ Credit Freeze 
 A credit freeze limits third parties from accessing your credit reports and may prevent certain types of identity theft.  You may be charged a fee of up to $5.00 to place or remove a security freeze.  Generally, there is no charge for victims of identity theft. 
To place a credit freeze, contact: 
 
Equifax 
1-800-525-6285 
 
Experian 
1-888-397-3742 
 
Transunion 
1-800-680-7289 
 
 
Unwanted Calls 
Reduce telemarketing and potential scam calls by registering with the National Do Not Call Registry. Registration is permanent unless you remove your phone number from the list. 
 
National Do Not Call Registry
1-888-382-1222 
 
 


​​​​​​​ ​​​​