The Douglas County Sheriff's Office started the Caring Neighbors program last year.  It's a program where sheriff's volunteers check up on elderly residents that don't get out much.  They take time to visit, and are trained to give seniors all kinds of advice and to look out for warning signs - which is what they got on a recent visit.

Last month Sgt. Bernadette Smith and volunteer Claudia Lowe visited a man to see if he would be good fit for the Caring Neighbors program.  Social Services had received a call from a concerned insurance agent saying sometimes this customer seemed confused and at times wasn't able to pay his bills.  So they went over to check on him in person. 

"The senior answered the door and said, 'are you here to arrest me?' and I said, 'of course not, we're here because the Sheriff's Office cares about you," said Smith. "And he brought out a bag full of receipts from Money Gram and Western Union and we determined he was the victim of a financial scam over the wire services."

It turns out that the victim was told over the phone that he'd won a $10 million lottery and had to make payments for insurance and taxes.  He ended up paying $34,000 sent to different countries over 20 months.  Deputies investigated his finances and found he's now near foreclosure.

"His health policy, home insurance and car insurance had lapsed, some utilities had been turned off and he was in need of food," Smith said.

The Sheriff's Office is working with the county's social services programs to try and repair some of the damage.

"We're trying to remedy his near-foreclosure, reinstate policies," Smith said.  "He has food now, a temporary phone to dial 911 if he needs to; it's a slow process but we're making progress."

And the volunteers are there for support.

"I went on the initial visit and we've taken lunch to him several times," Lowe said. "We didn't want him to get terribly depressed because you get to the point you don't want to do it anymore and Sgt. Smith told him, no, we're going to get your through this."

A criminal report has been forwarded to the Attorney General's office but prosecuting foreign suspects is unlikely.  So is recovering any of the money.  

           

It's estimated one in nine seniors are being abused, neglected or exploited. Â