Elder abuse

But financial exploitation, particularly of elderly people, is now the leading concern among those with responsibility for implementing the legislation.

At a recent conference that brought together experts in the field, including council Adult Protection Conveners and staff from the police, health, social work and charity sectors, one-quarter of those taking part said financial harm was one of the most significant issues in their work.

Meanwhile, the vast majority of delegates – 87% – called for the banking industry to adopt a common approach in identifying incidents and intervening when there are unusual patterns of withdrawal from accounts held by vulnerable people.

The challenges are significant, with new methods of exploitation evolving all the time. There are also increasing concerns about organised crime targeting vulnerable people with so-called "suckers lists", allowing those most at risk to be cold-called or spammed using email.

Earlier this year a series of arrests by police in London and Scotland targeted the alleged perpetrators of a pension liberation fraud, in which people are thought to have been persuaded to access their pension pots early, generating large sums in commission or management fees for those responsible while incidentally ruining the lives of their victims, who can be exposed to massive and unnecessary tax liabilities.

Marilyn Baldwin, whose mother was targeted by organised scammers, has also launched the Think Jessica campaign, which aims to prevent vulnerable people being brainwashed by fraudsters.

But there is also no shortage of more traditional, low-level rip-offs, including tradesmen who overcharge or fail to do the work for which they have been paid and sales workers who take advantage of adults who are vulnerable.

Councils across Scotland have also seen it all, according to Paul Comley, Scotland's national adult protection co-ordinator, who is based at WithScotland at the University of Stirling.

"Financial harm can take many forms and is often connected to someone feeling under pressure to hand over money or possessions, or the exploitation of their property or welfare benefit," he said.

"It was notable at the conference that a lot of people felt financial harm resonated most with them in their role."

Mr Comley, who works with adult protection committees in councils across the country, said there was now a need for banks and financial institutions to do more to play their part in preventing crime and exploitation.

"The adult protection community is keen to work with financial institutions and other agencies in identifying and preventing financial harm," he said.

Meanwhile, the public are also being urged to be vigilant, and not to be afraid to report concerns they have about a relative or a neighbour who may be being abused financially.

"To better protect adults at risk of harm, the vision is to highlight to family, friends and professionals the many forms that financial harm can take," he added.

One of those who spoke at the event was Graham Vance, financial business security advisor at the Scottish Business Resilience Centre. He said banks and other businesses were ready and willing to play their part, but had to balance the rights of customers to privacy in their financial affairs.

"High street banks and other organisations providing 'cash over the counter' service are often ideally placed to notice people making unusual withdrawals or responding to unusual payment requests," he said.

"Organisations need to be equipped to recognise, reduce and stop financial harm in a way that is legally and ethically compliant with their own codes and regulations."

Mr Vance said staff in many banks and financial institutions were now very aware of the issue. "You will sometimes see elderly people or vulnerable people coming in and withdrawing inordinate amounts of cash to pay the builder who says he has fixed the roof.

"We have also had a number of cases where the police, for example, have been aware of bogus workmen operating in an area. That is communicated to us, and then we communicate it to the banks."

There is a "depth of enthusiasm" in the financial sector to ensure the most vulnerable people in communities are kept safe, he said. However, banks are also acutely aware of the need to handle such concerns with sensitivity. "You need to assess the circumstances. We don't want to send out a message that the banks will run off and tell the police every time you make a transaction on an account.

"Staff would talk sensitively to the customer to try to establish exactly why they want the cash. A teller might suggest alternative ways of payment – and sometimes a scammer will just run when you talk about alternatives to cash. But if the customer insists, they will get their money.

"Banks have a serious responsibility to keep customers' affairs confidential, so there is a fine line between that and reporting suspicions."

Nevertheless, he insists the commitment is there. "We want to make Scotland a very hostile place for people who steal money from adults at risk."

Councils too are exploring new ways of protecting people. Angus Council was the first in Scotland to develop a formal policy on financial harm. This has seen trading standards officers linking up with social workers to tackle scammers while calling on the public to flag up suspicions.

Meanwhile East Dunbartonshire Council launched a scheme in January that allows residents to block unwanted scam, marketing or nuisance phone calls. The council offers Truecall units that can block calls to domestic phone lines and record all voice calls.

Inverclyde Council has worked with Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS and the charity Quarriers to provide internet safety training for vulnerable people, which includes advice on avoiding online scams.

Minister for Public Health Michael Matheson, who spoke at the conference, backed its work, and said: "We are committed to protecting the most vulnerable people in our communities from all harm – including financial. This project is one of a range of partnership programmes aimed at raising awareness of financial harm among individuals, family, friends and health and social care staff."

If you know someone who you think may be experiencing financial harm, visit www.actagainstharm.org for more information.