Texas Department of Family and Protective Services brings awareness to scams targeting elderly people

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- June is Elder Abuse Prevention Month in Texas. The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services hosted an informative conference to explore critical topics, including elder financial exploitation.

Adult Protective Services found 2,157 elderly people in the El Paso area who suffered forms of abuse, neglect or exploitation. APS partnered with the DFPS to explain common scams that target elderly people.

DFPS Faith-Based and Community Engagement Specialist Grace Ortiz said victims fall for scams because of deceptive trust.

"We actually believe something's happening where they say, you know what you owe on your utility bill," Ortiz said, referring to common text scams warning about overdue fees. "But it's their way of trying to get into their bank account."

Ortiz also said to stay diligent, as elderly people are more vulnerable to "deceptive trade practices" in a technological age.

"We all know somebody who is older in our lives, be it grandparents, mom and dad, neighbors, friends," Ortiz said. "But there's individuals out there who will either want to take advantage of them and think they don't know any better, and they'll fall for any scam."

Ortiz said the best way to avoid scams is by not clicking on links from unknown contacts.