Bee County proclaims June Elder Abuse Awareness Month; APS warns of underreporting and AI-enabled scams

Bee County Commissioners Court on June 23 approved a proclamation declaring June as Elder Abuse Awareness Month and heard from Texas Adult Protective Services (APS) staff about patterns of abuse and emerging threats to older and disabled adults.

The proclamation motion passed by voice vote. APS staff used the public presentation time tied to the proclamation to describe the agency’s role investigating abuse, neglect, and exploitation of elderly or disabled adults and to urge the public to report concerns.

Marissa Backum, identified in the meeting as a subject matter expert with Adult Protective Services, told the court that APS investigates allegations and provides services to mitigate harm. “We investigate abuse, neglect, and exploitation of elderly or disabled adults,” Backum said. She told commissioners that elder abuse is severely underreported: for every one report received, she said as many as 22 incidents may go unreported.

APS staff also warned that criminals are increasingly using artificial intelligence tools to target older adults in scams. “AI is the future, and it is also the future for criminals,” Backum said, noting APS is adapting training and investigative techniques to counter deepfakes, voice-cloning, and other AI-enabled schemes.

The court thanked APS staff and signed the proclamation; county officials and APS representatives agreed to coordinate community education and training opportunities for banks, law enforcement, and other agencies that work with older adults.

Ending: The court recorded the proclamation in the minutes and encouraged residents to use the APS reporting number for suspected abuse; APS staff left materials and offered continuing-education sessions for local organizations.

Speakers quoted in this article spoke during the June 23 Bee County Commissioners Court meeting and are included in the article’s speaker metadata.