June 15 Is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day
As financial exploitation reaches record highs, state and provincial securities regulators are reaffirming their commitment to protecting senior investors from increasingly sophisticated threats.
Financial exploitation remains a growing threat to older Americans. According to NASAA’s 2025 Enforcement Report, securities regulators handled more than 3,600 complaints involving older investors and opened more than 1,650 investigations tied to senior financial exploitation and investment misconduct. Increasingly, these threats include digital asset schemes, social media fraud, AI-enabled impersonation scams, and ongoing efforts designed to exploit seniors’ trust and retirement savings.
Securities regulators serve as the primary “cops on the beat” for senior protection. Because they operate within the communities they serve, they are often the first to identify local fraud trends and the only agency positioned to intervene quickly when a suspicious withdrawal is flagged.
Investors and families are urged to take three immediate steps:
- Name a Trusted Contact: A trusted contact is a “safety net” for your brokerage account. It allows your financial firm to contact someone you trust if they suspect fraud or cannot reach you.
- Leverage the Senior Safe Act: This law provides a framework for financial professionals to report suspected exploitation to state regulators without fear of violating privacy rules.
- Report Locally: If you suspect a senior is being targeted, contact your state or provincial securities regulator immediately. Early reporting is the most effective way to recover lost funds.
For over a century, state regulators have pioneered senior protection through Model Acts that allow for the temporary freezing of suspicious transactions. These “Blue Sky” protections ensure that when a senior is targeted, they have an advocate nearby who can take decisive action.
For more information or to find your local regulator, visit NASAA.org.
