Family, friends, neighbors, caregivers, fiduciaries, business people, and others may try to take advantage of Roberto. They may take his money without permission, neglect to repay money they owe, charge him too much for services, or just not do things he has paid them to do. These may be examples of financial exploitation or financial abuse. As Roberto’s representative payee or VA fiduciary, you should help protect him as his agent. You should know the signs of financial exploitation for five important reasons:
- Roberto may still control some of his funds and could be exploited;
- Even if Roberto does not control any of his funds, he still may be exploited;
- Roberto may have been exploited, and you may still be able to do something about that;
- People may try to take advantage of you as Roberto’s representative payee or VA fiduciary; and
- Knowing what to look for will help you avoid doing things you should not do, protecting you from accusations that you exploited Roberto.
See "Common Signs" for some instances where it may be reasonable for you to suspect that Roberto is being financially exploited and what you can do.