Older adults in the United States lose billions of dollars annually to elder financial abuse (EFA), which may be preceded by a decline of capacity to make financial decisions.

The following is a screening questionnaire for adults at risk for financial exploitation by modern Electronic Financial Instruments that present novel mechanisms through which EFA can occur. Developed by Dr. Aaron J. Greene, M.D. Published in The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

Screening positive on any question warrants further discussion covering relevant domains (basic related skills, conceptual knowledge, making transactions, recurring payments, account statements and user interfaces, financial judgment, knowledge of assets, premorbid financial functioning, and the personal values, emotions and metacognitive drivers of financial behaviors) within the framework of the Financial Capacity Assessment Tool (FCAT). Concurrent screening for mental illness/distress, functional status, physical illness/frailty, traumatic brain injury (TBI), cognitive impairment, recent loss of a loved one, previous FE, and collateral verification should be considered.

1. Do you receive help managing your personal finances?
a. Do you feel you are being manipulated or financially exploited in some way?
b. Has money ever “gone missing” from your bank account?

2. Do you manage any of your finances online (i.e. via the internet or a mobile app)?
a. Which ones? (e.g. investments/trusts, banking, shopping)

3. How do you store your personal financial, email, social media, and/or online shopping account login information?
a. Does anyone else potentially have access to these?

4. Do you use any of the same information you share on social media for answers to security questions for any your personal online accounts?

5. Do you engage in online dating or socializing?

6. Do you play videogames in which money or a digital currency with financial value is exchanged?

7. Do you own any cryptocurrencies (e.g. Bitcoin)?
a. Are they stored on a digital or hardware wallet?
b. Does anyone else potentially have access to the wallet(s)?

8. Have you intentionally or unintentionally shared any of your financial, email, social media, and/or online shopping account login information with anyone?
a. Do you feel you were manipulated, pressured or intimidated to do so?

9. Do you sign in to your personal financial, email, social media, and/or online shopping accounts from a public computer?

10. Do you sign in to your personal financial, email, social media, and/or online shopping accounts through a wireless connection to the internet (e.g. WiFi)?
a. Are the networks password protected?
b. Does anyone else have access to the networks?

11. Do you use biometric identifiers (e.g. fingerprint, facial recognition) to lock your personal electronic device or sign in to your personal financial, email, social media, and/or online shopping accounts?

12. Do you share your personal electronic device (computer, tablet, or smartphone) with anyone?
a. Do you feel you were manipulated, pressured or intimidated to do so?
b. Do you log out of all of your accounts every time you are not using it?

13. Do you connect your personal electronic device wirelessly to other devices (e.g. through a smartphone application or Bluetooth)?

14. Have you shared the PIN for your debit card with anyone?
a. Do you feel you were manipulated, pressured or intimidated to do so?

15. Have you shared your credit card with anyone?
a. Do you feel you were manipulated, pressured or intimidated to do so?

16. Do you ever receive emails, texts, or social media messages from people or organizations you don’t recognize?
a. Do you feel you were manipulated, pressured or intimidated to respond?
b. How do you respond?

17. Have you ever been asked to purchase electronic gift cards or debit cards for someone?
a. Do you feel you were manipulated, pressured or intimidated to do so?
b. How do you respond?

18. Have you ever been asked to invest or donate money through the internet (e.g. email, text message, social media, or videogame)?
a. Do you feel you were ever manipulated, pressured or intimidated to do so?

19. Have you ever been asked to wire money electronically? (e.g. through the internet, your phone, or any other form of digital transfer of currency or cryptocurrency)
a. Do you feel you were ever manipulated, pressured or intimidated to do so?

20. Have you ever electronically signed (e-sign) a legal document?
a. Do you feel you were manipulated, pressured or intimidated to do so?

21. Do you receive assistance or require a caretaker due to a medical condition or injury?

22. Do you have trouble paying for necessities (e.g. food, medications and other healthcare, housing, clothing, transportation)?

23. Do your financial decisions negatively affect your physical wellbeing?

24. Do your financial decisions negatively affect your emotional wellbeing?