The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released an online resource to help communities form networks to help prevent and respond to elder financial abuse.
The Elder Fraud Prevention and Response Networks Development Guide offers planning tools, templates, and exercises to help communities create a collaborative network to fight elder fraud or improve an existing network.
The online tool includes a meeting model on how to set up a retreat and training event to rally stakeholders and community leaders. Retreat planning takes a few months and can be implemented remotely via teleconference, supporting engagement in rural communities and in consideration of the need for social distancing. The guide also provides resources for reconvening after the retreat to help community leaders take further action to expand network capabilities.
“The CFPB is focused on stopping financial exploitation of older Americans. We hope this resource will help launch networks in fighting elder financial exploitation in communities where networks don’t currently exist,” said CFPB Director Kathleen L. Kraninger. “For those communities with an existing network, the Networks Development Guide can help to refresh or realign its priorities and activities, or expand the diversity of its membership to include new stakeholders. We encourage the use of the guide by communities across the nation to build their capacity to prevent and respond to elder financial exploitation.”
The CFPB will be offering presentations and webinars in the coming weeks to walk stakeholders through the Networks Development Guide and provide tips on how to use it.