Protecting Yourself and Loved Ones from Elder Financial Exploitation

Financial scams targeting older adults are becoming increasingly sophisticated, costing victims billions of dollars each year. This informative and engaging presentation is designed to help seniors, family members, and caregivers better understand the growing threat of elder financial exploitation and learn practical steps to protect themselves. Participants will gain insight into the most common scams affecting older adults today, including impersonation scams, romance scams, grandparent scams, investment fraud, tech support scams, and schemes involving cryptocurrency and gift cards. The session will explain how criminals manipulate emotions such as fear, urgency, trust, and isolation to gain access to money and personal information.

Attendees will learn:

• How common scams work and the warning signs to watch for
• Why older adults are frequently targeted by criminals
• Practical strategies to safeguard personal and financial information
• Steps to take before sending money, sharing information, or responding to unexpected requests
• How to recognize potential exploitation of a loved one
• What to do and who to contact if fraud or exploitation is suspected

The presentation will also cover real-world examples, prevention tips, and available resources to help individuals respond quickly and effectively when concerns arise. The goal of this session is simple: empower seniors and their families with the knowledge and tools needed to recognize threats, prevent victimization, and take action when something doesn’t seem right. Because awareness is one of the strongest defenses against financial exploitation, knowing what to look for can make all the difference.

Presenters:

• Paulina M. Peters – VP, Deputy BSA Officer, Old National Bank

Paulina M. Peters, is a financial crime prevention professional with more than 20 years of experience helping financial institutions identify, prevent, and respond to fraud, scams, money laundering, and financial exploitation. She currently serves as Vice President and Deputy BSA Officer at Old National Bank, where she helps oversee programs designed to detect and prevent financial crime. Throughout her career, Paulina has worked closely with financial institutions, regulators, and law enforcement to strengthen efforts aimed at protecting consumers and communities from fraud and exploitation.

She is actively involved in public-private partnership initiatives throughout the Chicagoland area, including the Cook County Regional Organized Crime Task Force. Paulina also serves as a Steering Committee member for the newly formed Elder and Vulnerable Population Task Force led by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, which brings together financial institutions, law enforcement, prosecutors, advocacy groups, and community organizations to combat financial exploitation and scams targeting older and vulnerable adults.

Paulina is also Chair of the ACAMS Chicago Chapter, a professional organization dedicated to education and collaboration in the fight against financial crime. She is a frequent speaker and moderator on topics including fraud prevention, scams targeting older adults, financial exploitation, and emerging financial crime threats.

• Ray Olsen - SVP, Senior Director - Enterprise Fraud Management, Wintrust Financial Corporation

Ray Olsen is an accomplished financial crime executive leader with 20 years of experience in banking and financial services, specializing in Fraud, Anti-Money Laundering (AML)/BSA, and OFAC. He currently serves as the Senior Vice President, Senior Director of Enterprise Fraud Management at Wintrust Financial Corporation, which operates 16 charter community banks and has over 200 branch locations in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, and Florida. Wintrust Financial Corporation (WTFC) has reported total assets of approximately $71 billion. Ray leads a large team of fraud professionals and is a former law enforcement officer, US Army Reserve veteran, husband, and father of six children.

• Carol M. Sniegowski - Director Financial Crimes Risk Management

Carol M. Sniegowski is a senior financial investigations executive with more than three decades of experience spanning financial services and federal law enforcement. She is widely recognized for leading complex investigations across financial crime, fraud, anti-money laundering, Conduct Risk, and regulatory matters, as well as for building and strengthening investigative programs that drive strong risk management and operational effectiveness.

At Charles Schwab, Ms. Sniegowski has held multiple senior leadership roles across AML, Fraud and Conduct Risk. Prior to joining Schwab, she spent more than two decades with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, where she led high impact investigations involving public corruption, terrorism financing, and white-collar crime investigations. She holds a Master of Science in Finance from the University of Colorado, a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Central Florida and successfully passed the Uniform CPA exam in the state of Illinois.

Registration required.

Event will be held in Room 111ABC at the Community House.

Thursday, October 22, 10:00am - 12:00pm

$25 per person