Articles Tagged with elder fraud

Protecting Your Investments Against Affinity Fraud

Published on: April 15, 2018 | by Savage Villoch Law, PLLC

In a recently filed complaint,The SEC charged a prominent pastor in a scheme to defraud investors out of millions of dollars. Using his religious clout and reputation, the pastor leveraged investments out of devoted followers, mainly elderly. Between 2013 and 2014, the SEC alleges that Kirbyjon Caldwell, Pastor of the Windsor Village Methodist Church and Gregory Alan Smith, a financial planner previously barred by FINRA managed to dupe investors out of nearly $3.5 million. Caldwell and Smith used most of the funds to cover personal expenses. They funneled the remaining funds to off-shore accounts.

The case represents a pervasive issue for financial and securities regulators: affinity fraud.

What is affinity fraud?

Top 10 Senior Scams to Avoid

Published on: February 17, 2017 | by Savage Villoch Law, PLLC

Senior Scams: Preying on the Nation’s Vulnerable

Senior scams being perpetrated against some the country’s seniors and the elderly has been on the rise over the past few years. Seniors are especially vulnerable to fraud due to health issues or the natural effects of aging.

A USA Today report states that a hotline set-up by the Senate Aging Committee received twice as many calls for senior scams involving claimed tax debts in 2016 than any other complaint. The “tax debt” senior scam also topped the Committee’s annual report comprising reported financial scams for the year.