Elder abuse is a growing issue nationwide, with Ohio being no exception. Dave Yost, Ohio Attorney General, and his office are aiming to address the issue through a statewide initiative, bringing together multiple Ohio associations for a coalition to raise awareness and combat instances of abuse.
The Ohio Bankers League is one of the partners in the project. Bankers often see initial signs of financial exploitation, recognizing unusual or sudden large withdrawals, changes in long-standing financial patterns, suspicious wire transfers and new individuals exerting influence over an older customer’s account.
“We at the Ohio Bankers League are looking for opportunities where we can help ensure more Ohioans know this fraud is rampant, it's convincing, and we all have to do a better job of keeping an eye out for it,” President and CEO of Ohio Bankers League Mike Adelman said.
Adelman said there are several ways scammers will perpetrate abuse but detailed a recent case that he said is becoming a common instance.
Recently, a woman in Western Ohio was contacted by someone pretending to be part of the FBI. The person asked her to assist in a fraud investigation they were conducting on her bank.
“This older Ohioan withdrew $50,000 from the bank, put it in a box, went to their home,” Adelman said. “Bad guy shows up in a black car, rolls the window down and the woman hands her the box of cash like she was instructed to do, and she thinks she's helping the FBI investigate fraud.”
According to the attorney general’s office fact sheet, elder abuse has increased by 400% within the past seven years. In addition to financial exploitation, it includes physical, emotional and sexual abuse.
Cases of abuse are also generally under-reported, contributing to a large part of the issue. According to the attorney general’s fact sheet, “estimates show that one in 10 Ohioans age 60 or older suffer abuse, but that only one in five cases are reported.”
Another partner in the initiative, the Ohio Pharmacists Association, is planning on informing pharmacists on how to recognize signs of abuse to help increase reports. Pharmacists are mandated reporters in Ohio and typically have daily interactions with elderly individuals.
Sara Kilpatrick, CEO of the Ohio Pharmacists Association, discussed the role pharmacists play in the issue.
“Pharmacists often become familiar with the patients that frequent their pharmacies,” Kilpatrick said. “And of course, those are oftentimes older Ohioans, so pharmacists and technicians and other pharmacy staff are in a unique position to be able to see signs that abuse might be occurring.”
Kilpatrick said some of those signs include changes in one's hygiene, different behavioral issues in the pharmacy or a change in whether a customer can pay for medications.
Adelman said the attorney general’s office reached out to him earlier in 2026, informing him their office was establishing educational materials detailing elder abuse. The Ohio Bankers League will distribute those materials to bankers and help inform customers.
Adelman also commented on other examples of ways banks can help disseminate the proper information and resources to elderly Ohioans.
“A bank will go in a local senior center or a community center or a nursing home,” Adelman said. “They will just be a resource to the residents or the people who are attending events at those kinds of facilities and just raising awareness on how people can hopefully be better informed about these scams.”
In a press release detailing the initiative, a statement from Yost discussed the importance of the project.
“It’s going to take all of us — pharmacists, bankers, law enforcement, physicians, retirement communities, and you and me — to get at the root of this scourge,” Yost wrote in a press release. “Our senior citizens deserve dignity, protection and justice as much as anybody else.”
