In 2009, Palm Beach Clerk Sharon Bock implemented a guardianship fraud program and hotline. This program was created “to allow anonymous tips on waste and financial fraud in court-appointed guardianships over the elderly, minor children and other wards.” Palm Beach Country Clerk & Comptroller’s Office has had major success with the program. This September, the program was recognized at the 4th World Congress on Adult Guardianship, an international recognition. Palm Beach Guardianship Fraud Program & Hotline
- As people are living longer and longer, guardianships are becoming more and more frequent.
- Therefore, probate lawyers know that guardianship litigation is booming.
- Florida guardianships are taken seriously.
- Guardianship involve taking away rights from people deemed incapacitated because they can no longer make decisions for themselves.
- For example, a guardianship can take away a person’s right to marry and/or a person’s right to vote.
- Elderly ward’s can, unfortunately, become victims of financial exploitation or fraud.
- According to a September 20,2016 article by the Daily Business Review, “the Clerk’s fraud program has investigated more than 900 cases involving allegations of missing money or property, suspicious loans, financial transfers, unauthorized access to bank accounts, conflicts of interests and other violations of federal, state or local laws.”
- They have uncovered more than $5.1 million since the program was implemented!
- To read the entire article, click here.