Justice Department Releases Eighth Annual Elder Justice Report: Nearly 350 Enforcement Actions, 712 Defendants Accused of Stealing Over $4.8 Billion From More Than 711,000 Older Victims
The Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday, October 28 released the Department's eighth Annual Report to Congress on its efforts to combat elder fraud and abuse, covering the reporting period from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026. During that year, the Department pursued nearly 350 criminal and civil enforcement actions involving fraud or abuse that targeted or disproportionately affected older adults.
According to the report, approximately 96 percent of the cases were criminal in nature and 45 percent involved international schemes. The cases named 712 defendants charged with stealing, or alleged to have stolen, $4,841,305,931 from 711,353 victims. Over the same period, the Department also engaged in nearly 1,200 public awareness and training events reaching over 62 million Americans, and helped organize and participated in the Never Ever Campaign, a public-private coordinated consumer education effort against government and business imposter scams that collectively reached over 95 million individuals.
The Department continued to develop training and resources for state and local prosecutors, law enforcement, victim service providers and elder justice multidisciplinary teams, including an online training titled Toolkit for Law Enforcement and Emergency Medical Services When Called to a Long-Term Care Facility, which more than 700 professionals took in its first month of release. On victim support, organizations funded under the Victims of Crime Act allocated $52 million to elder abuse victim services, and the Department returned or froze millions of dollars for older victims through a variety of programs.
The Department said it remains committed to advancing elder justice through enforcement, public awareness, resources and training for elder justice professionals, and support for older victims and their families. Anyone who has been a victim of elder fraud, or knows of a victim, can call the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 833-FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311).
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 位于华盛顿的美国司法部总部Robert F. Kennedy大楼。/ The Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building in Washington, headquarters of the U.S. Department of Justice. Photo by APK, CC BY-SA, via Wikimedia Commons
