{"id":1153,"date":"2026-05-07T08:16:21","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T08:16:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/conned-by-their-carers-worry-as-elderly-brits-hit-by-financial-abuse-epidemic\/"},"modified":"2026-05-07T08:16:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T08:16:21","slug":"conned-by-their-carers-worry-as-elderly-brits-hit-by-financial-abuse-epidemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/conned-by-their-carers-worry-as-elderly-brits-hit-by-financial-abuse-epidemic\/","title":{"rendered":"Conned by their carers &#8211; worry as elderly Brits hit by financial abuse epidemic"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"article-body\">\n<h2 class=\"LeadText_lead-text__wd_PA __className_cd6cce\" data-testid=\"leadtext\">As our elderly population soars, shocking evidence shows there has been a worrying increase in the number of older people being financially abused \u2013 even within their own families<\/h2>\n<p><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX ImageEmbed_image-lead__Ti3qQ\" data-testid=\"leadimage\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37120194\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Barbara Wilcox with her late husband John, who was a victim of financial abuse\" loading=\"eager\"  src=\"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1_john-and-barbara-2jpeg.jpg\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Barbara Wilcox with her late husband John, who was a victim of financial abuse\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Barbara Wilcox with her late husband John, who was a victim of financial abuse<cite aria-label=\"Image: Supplied\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: Supplied)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">As our elderly population soars, there has been a worrying increase in the number of older people being financially abused \u2013 even within their own families. With more than a quarter of over 65s in England needing some form of social care, they can be conned by those closest to them, according to shocking evidence uncovered by <a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/itv\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">ITV<\/a>\u2019s Tonight programme.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Lawyer Ann Stanyer, an expert in the field, says: \u201cI think financial abuse of the elderly is much more widespread than we realise.\u201d Barbara Wilcox, 87, and her late husband John, a successful \u00adbusinessman, had a long and loving relationship before he \u00addeveloped vascular dementia.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">John had treated two \u00adchildren and three grandchildren from Barbara\u2019s first marriage as his own. Barbara, from Wales, says: \u201cAll he wanted to do was look after me and that\u2019s what he did for 40-odd years. The eldest of the grandchildren, Amy, was the apple of his eye.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span data-testid=\"readmore\" class=\"ReadMore_readmore-prefix__xS44r __className_8b4018\">READ MORE<!-- -->: <span class=\"ReadMore_readmore-link__eF9pN\"><a target=\"_blank\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" data-tmdatatrack=\"read-more\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37089222\" data-tmdatatrack-source=\"editorial\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/news\/uk-news\/tonight-travel-chaos-flights-expensive-37089222\" tabindex=\"0\">Package holiday price hikes warning as cost can go up after you&#8217;ve booked<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The dementia had altered John\u2019s behaviour and he became \u00adaggressive towards Barbara. He then turned to Amy and it was agreed he would move to a care home near to her in Devon, 120 miles from his wife.<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-37120258\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37120258\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.77\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"John and his granddaughter Amy\" loading=\"lazy\"  src=\"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1_john-wilcox-and-granddaughter-Amyjpeg.jpg\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"John and his granddaughter Amy\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">John and his granddaughter Amy<cite aria-label=\"Image: Supplied\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: Supplied)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Barbara soon started receiving text messages saying she no longer had any say in her husband\u2019s care. A call to the care home revealed John, whose assets were worth \u00a31.5 million, was no longer living there and Barbara learned he had made Amy his lasting power of attorney.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Ms Stanyer explains: \u201cIt gives decision-making power to another person, so they can manage your affairs. If I had a client who had a vascular dementia diagnosis, I would instruct an experienced capacity assessor to ensure that client knew what they were signing. I would definitely get a psychiatrist to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Barbara later discovered John had also changed his will, leaving everything in a trust for Amy. But there was nothing unlawful in the arrangement of the LPA or the will. Then Amy refused to tell the rest of the family where John was. Barbara says: \u201cI thought I wouldn\u2019t ever see him again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Barbara\u2019s daughter confronted Amy and found out John was living in a hotel with no cleaning \u00adprovisions and little food. She says: \u201cHe was living on ready-meals. I walked in there and he just looked. He was lying on the bed and he said, \u2018Oh, Mrs Wilcox\u2019. I said, \u2018Do you want to come home?\u2019 He said, \u2018Yes, I do\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-37120269\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37120269\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Rita Barnsley, who was targeted by a care home worker in a shocking case of financial abuse\" loading=\"lazy\"  src=\"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0_Rita-Barnsley.jpg\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Rita Barnsley, who was targeted by a care home worker in a shocking case of financial abuse\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Rita Barnsley, who was targeted by a care home worker in a shocking case of financial abuse<cite aria-label=\"Image: Supplied\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: Supplied)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">It emerged later that Amy had taken more than \u00a35,000 from John\u2019s account, leading to a police caution for fraud. Barbara asked the Office of the Public Guardian if they could blacklist Amy and stop her being an attorney to anyone else. She says: \u201cThey said, \u2018Oh, we can\u2019t do that\u2019. I thought, \u2018That\u2019s crazy\u2019.\u201d An OPG spokesman told Tonight: \u201cWe recognise the serious harm that economic abuse can cause. Where evidence emerges that an attorney is acting improperly or poses a risk, we will investigate and refer cases to the Court of Protection to suspend or remove attorneys.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Sadly, John\u2019s story is not unique. Verna, 83, turned detective when her cousin Rita Barnsley, 85, who was single and childless, died. She had been admitted to the Amberley Care Home in Dudley, West Mids, in 2020 after a fall. Verna became suspicious when she stopped being able to speak to her on the phone. She says: \u201cThere was always an excuse why I couldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">In August 2021, Rita died and when Verna was sent a copy of her will she knew something was badly wrong.Verna says: \u201cAt the bottom where she signed it, it\u2019s little writing,\u201d she says. \u201cI knew that Rita hadn\u2019t done it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">It emerged care-home manager Jamiel Slaney-Summers had targeted Rita, isolating her from her only surviving relative. She was jailed for five-and-a-half years for forging Rita\u2019s will and trying to steal her \u00a3175,000 estate. Graham and Lyn Walker, who own the care home, were sentenced to three years each. Verna says: \u201cIt was awful. I still don\u2019t know where her ashes are.\u201d<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-37121662\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37121662\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.78\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Care-home manager Jamiel Slaney-Summers \" loading=\"lazy\"  src=\"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0_Jamiel-Slaney-Summers_OWN-PHOTOjpeg.jpg\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Care-home manager Jamiel Slaney-Summers \" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Care-home manager Jamiel Slaney-Summers <cite aria-label=\"Image: Supplied\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: Supplied)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Richard Robinson, CEO, of the Hourglass charity, says: \u201cWe believe 2.7 million people a year are affected by the abuse of older people.\u201d Paul Farmer of Age UK, adds: \u201cWe worry the scale of this is greater.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Trading Standards can prosecute social care providers for criminal offences. One branch has formed a specialist unit, the West Yorkshire Financial Exploitation and Abuse Team, to investigate \u00adallegations. In March, its biggest prosecution, when care provider Peter Hunter was jailed for six years for fraud. He had stolen more than \u00a3330,000 by manipulating three elderly clients into giving him power of attorney. WYFEAT\u2019s Krystal Delaney says: \u201cI feel we were able to get justice for those families. And he\u2019s now taken off the streets so he can no longer offend.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">*Cashing In On The Elderly: Who To Trust? is on ITV tonight at 7.30pm.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"HeadingThree_heading-three__PBHLs  __className_7c63bc\">Who to call if you&#8217;re at risk<\/h3>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">If you or someone elderly you know is in danger of financial abuse call 999 if it is an emergency, if not dial 101. You can contact Report Fraud by visiting their website at reportfraud.police.uk or by calling them on 0300 123 2040. Hourglass offers support via wearehourglass.org or by calling them on 0808 808 8141.<\/p>\n<p><span data-testid=\"readmore\" class=\"ReadMore_readmore-prefix__xS44r __className_8b4018\">READ MORE<!-- -->: <span class=\"ReadMore_readmore-link__eF9pN\"><a target=\"_blank\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" data-tmdatatrack=\"read-more\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37023346\" data-tmdatatrack-source=\"editorial\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/news\/uk-news\/itv-tonight-shoplifting-paying-price-37023346\" tabindex=\"0\">New fightback against &#8216;scary&#8217; shoplifting gangs &#8211; from AI to citizens&#8217; arrests<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/news\/uk-news\/itv-tonight-elderly-financial-abuse-37120117\" target=\"_blank\">Source link<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As our elderly population soars, shocking evidence shows there has been a worrying increase in<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1154,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1153","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778141781_1_john-and-barbara-2jpeg.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1153","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1153"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1153\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1154"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1153"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}