NH Banking Department, Meals on Wheels to give out informational cards

CONCORD – As part of Elder Abuse Awareness Month, the New Hampshire Banking Department has teamed up with New Hampshire’s Meals on Wheels program to provide informational rack cards to approximately 8,000 of the program’s recipients.

The cards were recently distributed to Meals on Wheels regional coordinators and contain information on preventing elder financial abuse, how to file a complaint against a financial institution as well as outlining different forms of scams and fraud to be aware of.

Meals on Wheels is a coalition of nonprofits that seek to support older adults and homebound adults across the Granite State. The program delivers healthy meals to recipients and offers a connection for those in need. Older adults are often the target of scams and fraud.

The Federal Trade Commission reported that in 2023, the median amount lost to fraud was $804 for people aged 70-79 and $1,450 for those aged 80 and above.

“Elder financial abuse affects everyone and we believe education is key to prevention,” said NH Banking Department Commissioner Emelia Galdieri. “Spreading the word about elder financial abuse with Meals on Wheels will help increase the community’s knowledge about the resources to contact when elder financial abuse is suspected.”

The rack card is designed to be kept near a phone or placed on a refrigerator for easy access to important contact information for agencies such as the Banking Department, Attorney General’s Office and the Bureau of Elderly and Adult services.

“In New Hampshire alone, 408 victims lost $11,339,097 from these scams. As such, we must take every opportunity to educate and inform our older adults,” said Jon Eriquezzo, president of Meals on Wheels of Hillsborough County.

For more information, visit banking.nh.gov.