A new program from the Marin County District Attorney’s Office is taking aim at elder financial abuse by working with local banks to warn customers requesting suspicious withdrawals.
The District Attorney’s Office is partnering with the San Rafael Police Department and two local banks that will run the informational campaign as a two-month trial phase before potentially expanding it, according to a statement from the county Tuesday.
When a customer — particularly an older customer — requests a cash withdrawal or cashier’s check that is unusual for their account history, tellers will hand them a card asking them to reconsider if the money was requested by someone else.
Three branches of Bank of Marin and three branches of Westamerica Bank in San Rafael will participate in the program, which is also being overseen by the Aging Division in the county’s Department of Health and Human Services.
The informational card asks customers whether they were recently contacted by someone they don’t know, and whether the money they are requesting is for that person or is being directed somewhere by that person. It advises customers that they are not in trouble, but could be a victim of fraud and to call the San Rafael Police Department before proceeding with any third party’s request.
Marin County District Attorney Lori Frugoli said in a statement that scams typically increase during holidays, as criminals take advantage of victims’ trust and kindness.
“Unfortunately, today’s sophisticated fraud schemes have turned these virtues into vulnerabilities, often resulting in losses of tens of thousands of dollars, sometimes one’s life savings,” Frugoli said. “Our office is committed to protecting and fighting for our seniors and hopes this new collaboration with local banks and law enforcement agencies has an immediate impact on preventing these otherwise devastating financial crimes.”
More than $28 billion lost each year
More than $28 billion is lost by adults in the United States aged 60 or older every year, according to AARP.
About 72% of those losses, or $20 billion, are caused by someone the victim knows, while the remaining roughly 28%, or $8 billion, is lost to scams perpetrated by strangers, the organization found in a 2023 study.
A spokesperson for AARP California said the organization was in full support of Marin County’s efforts to lessen the impact of this type of crime.
“AARP California applauds Marin County District Attorney’s pilot program to better serve and protect its older residents who are becoming increasingly victimized by financial fraud, especially those that originate from bank branches,” said Ameen Khan, AARP California’s associate director of advocacy & community engagement.
“Unfortunately, today’s sophisticated fraud schemes have turned these virtues into vulnerabilities, often resulting in losses of tens of thousands of dollars, sometimes one’s life savings.”
Marin County District Attorney Lori Frugoli
Khan said financial exploitation is the most common form of elder abuse, with nearly four out of 10 older adults reporting either fraud or misuse of personal information in 2025.
“AARP California is committed to working with the District Attorney’s office and local officials and agencies to better protect older adult residents in Marin,” Khan said.
AARP’s resources to prevent elder adult financial abuse can be found at aarp.org/fraud.
The District Attorney’s Office said it could expand the program in the future to include places of worship, chambers of commerce and community centers. The program also targets caregivers, family members and staff at senior living centers to make them aware of the risk of financial scams so they can recognize the signs and potentially intervene.
“It can be influential if one of their trusted sources says, ‘I wouldn’t do this if I were you’ or ‘At least pump the brakes and look further into it first,’” said Mark Reischel, an investigator in the District Attorney’s Office said. “In short, we’re basically saying, ‘Be suspicious’ and ‘Don’t let them trap you.’”
Elder financial scams on the rise
The Marin County Sheriff’s Office said in past news releases that it has seen an uptick in scams targeting elderly residents.
Two separate cases in 2025 involved victims being told by callers pretending to be FBI agents that their bank accounts were compromised and to give large amounts of cash to a courier to be deposited in a secure account.
One victim gave $25,000 to a suspected scammer, who was later arrested. Another victim was prepared to hand over $50,000 to a courier before contacting police upon becoming suspicious.
In September 2024, an elderly victim was scammed out of “large sums of money” after being falsely told their computer was infected with a virus and to withdraw cash and give it to couriers. The money in that case was recovered and an arrest was made.
The Sheriff’s Office reminded the public that “there is no legitimate situation where a company or law enforcement agent will request delivery of cash/currency by courier.”
Its statement also said there was never a reason to withdraw money or purchase gift cards and give them to unknown people.
If an email is received asking to make a transaction, do not refer to the contact number in the email, but instead look up the company’s phone number online to find its legitimate contact information.
Scams can come in the form of emails, calls, or text messages. If a message is questionable or seems suspicious, people should ask someone they trust to take a look at it, the Sheriff’s Office recommended.