Ray Baird, a victim of financial abuse by his son Peter, revealed a $230,000 fraud scheme that exploited technological gaps. Over seven years, Peter diverted Ray's pension and ran up debts in his father's name. Despite the elaborate nature of the fraudâfaked letters and impersonation of officialsâthe case highlights a troubling trend where older Australians, particularly those reliant on technology, are vulnerable to such abuse. Advocates are calling for improved protections within financial services to safeguard the elderly from family-perpetrated scams.
By the time the fraud was uncovered and Ray began to untangle the lies his son had spun, Peter had taken more than $230,000 from him.
Experts want to see protections against elder fraud built into Centrelink, which sent Ray's pension to a bank account in Peter's name for years.
[Ray's] story is tragic in every way but it is very common; we know for certain that financial abuse is growing.
The scam was elaborate, involving a fake letter sent by Peter to his father purporting to be from the then premier of Victoria.
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