Elderly adults can be victims. Rock Hill $4,000 theft by home worker case shows how
A home health worker in Rock Hill has been arrested and charged with stealing thousands of dollars from an elderly woman, police said.
The victim is 80 years old, police said.
Crystal Hughes, 43, was charged Tuesday with exploitation of a vulnerable adult, financial card fraud, and larceny, according to police and jail records.
Hughes was working for a home health company as a caretaker and is charged with using the victim’s debit card and forging a check, said Lt. Michael Chavis of the Rock Hill Police Department. A check for $3,000 was stolen, along with debit card purchases of more than $1,100, Chavis said.
Rock Hill detectives were able to trace some of the money to purchases at a store, then identify Hughes from store video, according to police.
Hughes remains in the York County jail under a $30,000 bond, records show.
Watch finances of elderly, officials say
Elder fraud and exploitation cases are often crimes of opportunity, officials say. Police said family or guardians of people who require in-home services should keep financial information, money, and personal items in a secure place.
“We always recommend that people monitor the financial records and purchases of anyone who is under the care of others,” Chavis said. “Don’t leave cards, money, or any valuables where anyone can have access to them.”
Chavis said any discrepancy in an elderly person’s finances should be reported to law enforcement.
In 2018 and 2019 in York County criminal court, caregivers were convicted of stealing thousands of dollars from elderly people in their care, court records show. In those cases, the suspects had access to financial cards.
Some cases involve allegations of physical or financial abuse, or both. There was even a Rock Hill case a decade ago where stealing from a vulnerable adult led to murder.
Officials: Watch the bank records
Elderly people who depend on others for some form of care can be targets, said Doug Barfield, spokesman for the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office.
Barfield is the retired 6th Circuit Solicitor who was the top prosecutor for Chester and Lancaster counties.
“It is important to keep an awareness of any discrepancy in bank accounts or purchases that are made that are not in line with what an older person might do regularly,” Barfield said.
He has prosecuted many elderly victim scams. Families or guardians can ask older adults for access to financial records so purchases and balances can be regularly checked, Barfield said.
“If a purchase, a withdrawal, or any activity seems out of what should be happening, then action can be taken quickly,” Barfield said. “Unfortunately sometimes these types of cases are not discovered until weeks or even months after the elderly person has been victimized.”
Scams against the elderly a South Carolina, national problem
Barfield said scams against the elderly often happen because older people are more trusting and reluctant to notify law enforcement. Phone scams involve demands for gift cards, or people falsely identifying themselves as law enforcement or court officials and claiming the victim must pay money or go to jail, Barfield said.
“We have seen victims who have lost substantial amounts of money from these scams that go after trusting, older people...,” Barfield said.
Theft and scams targeting the vulnerable and elderly are violations of both South Carolina and federal law. Elderly victims lose more than $3 billion annually in financial exploitation and scams, according to statistics from the FBI and national Institute of Justice.
Statistics from federal agencies show that as many as one in 10 vulnerable adults are targets.
This story was originally published February 3, 2021 at 1:25 PM with the headline "Elderly adults can be victims. Rock Hill $4,000 theft by home worker case shows how."
