The Center for Criminology and Public Policy Research

On Aug. 5, members of the College’s Elder Financial Exploitation Research Team met with the St. Joe Company, a Florida-based real estate developer and manager, to share their findings and make recommendations for a new retirement community currently being developed by St. Joe.

The College of Criminology and Criminal Justice in partnership with Merrill Lynch and Seniors vs. Crime is conducting research on elder financial fraud in The Villages, one of the largest retirement communities in the nation. In 2011, it was reported that $2.9 billion was exploited from elder victims — a 12 percent increase from 2008. The fastest growing segment of the U.S. population is 65 and older, so the occurrence and impact of elder financial fraud will likely continue to escalate.