To report elder financial abuse in Texas, call the Texas Abuse Hotline at 1-800-252-5400 or file a report online at txabusehotline.org. The phone line is staffed 24 hours a day and is the right choice when the situation is urgent; the online portal is designed for reports that do not need investigation within 24 hours.1Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Report Abuse or Neglect Both channels route to the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS), which handles Adult Protective Services investigations statewide.
What to Have Ready Before You Call
Specific reports get investigated. Vague ones can be closed at intake. DFPS itself warns that “a lack of descriptions and details may result in your report being closed at intake without further action.”2Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Texas Abuse Hotline Website Before you file, gather what you can:
- The victim’s full legal name, date of birth, home address, and current living arrangement.
- The suspected person’s name, relationship to the elderly person, and contact information if you have it.
- Financial details: account numbers, approximate amounts missing, dates of suspicious transactions, and the types of assets involved (bank accounts, retirement funds, insurance policies, real property).
- A timeline showing when you first noticed the changes and how the situation has progressed.
- Notes about the elderly person’s living conditions, mental state, and anything they’ve told you about their finances or the suspected person.
You do not need every detail before reporting. If exploitation is happening right now or the person appears to be in immediate danger, file with what you have and let the investigator fill in gaps.
Filing by Phone
The Texas Abuse Hotline at 1-800-252-5400 operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.1Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Report Abuse or Neglect A trained intake specialist takes you through the questions and enters the information into the state database in real time. Stay on the line until the specialist confirms the intake is complete and gives you a reference number. Use the phone when the situation is urgent, when facts are complicated, or when you would rather work through the details with someone who can ask follow-up questions.
Filing Online
The secure portal at txabusehotline.org walks you through a series of screens that categorize the type of abuse and the parties involved.2Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Texas Abuse Hotline Website It is designed for reports that do not require investigation within 24 hours. One limitation matters: DFPS does not accept attachments or media files through the online system or by email.1Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Report Abuse or Neglect You can describe bank statements, photos, or recordings in the narrative fields, but you cannot upload them. Save or print the confirmation screen that appears after submission; it shows the date and time you filed.
When to Call Police at the Same Time
If someone is actively stealing property from the elderly person’s home, or if the situation involves immediate physical danger, call your local police department or sheriff’s office as well. Law enforcement can secure property and intervene on the spot in ways DFPS investigators cannot. Reporting to both DFPS and law enforcement does not create a conflict, and it is often the right move when a crime is in progress.
Who Is Legally Required to Report
Texas does not limit reporting duty to family members. Under Human Resources Code § 48.051, any person who has reason to believe an elderly individual is being financially exploited must report it to DFPS.3State of Texas. Texas Human Resources Code 48.051 – Report The word “shall” in the statute means this is not optional. The duty applies even to professionals whose communications are normally confidential, including attorneys, clergy, doctors, social workers, and mental health professionals.
Failing to report when you have reason to believe exploitation is happening is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $4,000.4State of Texas. Texas Human Resources Code 48.052 – Failure to Report; Penalty Bankers, home health aides, neighbors, and accountants who see the signs and stay silent are exposed to that penalty.
What Counts as Elder Financial Exploitation
Texas Human Resources Code § 48.002 defines exploitation as the illegal or improper use of an elderly person’s resources by a caretaker, family member, or anyone else in an ongoing relationship with the victim, for monetary or personal benefit and without informed consent.5State of Texas. Texas Human Resources Code 48.002 The ongoing-relationship element is what separates exploitation from ordinary theft. A stranger who steals a wallet commits theft. A son who drains his mother’s checking account commits exploitation.
Penal Code § 32.55 defines “financial abuse” of an elderly individual as the wrongful taking or use of another person’s money or property by any means, including undue influence.6State of Texas. Texas Penal Code 32.55 – Financial Abuse of Elderly Individual “Elderly individual” means anyone 65 or older.7State of Texas. Texas Penal Code 22.04 The statute reaches misuse of a power of attorney, abuse of guardianship authority, unauthorized transfers from bank accounts, and failing to use someone’s income to pay for their basic needs. Penalties scale with the value taken and can rise to a first-degree felony when the amount reaches $150,000 or more.
Common warning signs include unexplained cash withdrawals, Social Security or pension income that never reaches the person or their bills, new names added to deeds or accounts, recent amendments to a will or trust in favor of a caregiver, signatures that do not match, and declining living conditions in a person who has adequate income. Behavior matters too: anxiety about money, sudden isolation from family, or vague references to “papers I signed” the person cannot explain.
What Happens After You File
Once DFPS receives the report, an Adult Protective Services specialist initiates contact within 24 hours. That first contact is with someone who has current, reliable information about the alleged victim, and it helps the specialist decide whether immediate intervention is needed.8Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. APS Investigations and Services When the victim appears to be at serious risk of harm, the caseworker must attempt a face-to-face visit within that same 24-hour window.9Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. APS Case Process
During a home visit, the investigator assesses living conditions, the elderly person’s awareness of their finances, and the extent of losses. The investigator may also interview family members, neighbors, or caregivers. If the investigator suspects a crime, the case is referred to local law enforcement for a criminal investigation.9Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. APS Case Process If the victim needs help regaining control of their finances, the state may arrange protective services, including temporary guardianship.
Protections for the Person Reporting
Under Human Resources Code § 48.054, a person who files a report or testifies in any proceeding arising from that report is immune from civil and criminal liability, as long as they acted in good faith.10State of Texas. Texas Human Resources Code 48.054 – Immunity The immunity extends to your employer if you filed as part of your job. The exception is someone who reports their own abuse of the victim or files a report in bad faith with malicious purpose.
Your identity is protected as well. Texas law classifies the report, the reporter’s identity, and investigative working papers as confidential and exempt from public records disclosure. DFPS cannot release the reporter’s name, even when sharing case results with other parties.
Other Places to Report
When exploitation involves securities, such as stocks, bonds, annuities, or dealings with a financial adviser, file a complaint with the Texas State Securities Board in addition to DFPS. Investment advisers in Texas are required to maintain written systems for detecting suspected exploitation of vulnerable adults and to report suspicions in writing to the Securities Commissioner.11Legal Information Institute. 7 Texas Administrative Code 116.21 – System Addressing Suspected Financial Exploitation of Vulnerable Customers The Board provides a reporting form on its website.12Texas State Securities Board. Firms Urged to Use New Reporting Form for Suspected Financial Exploitation
Contacting the elderly person’s bank or brokerage directly can sometimes freeze suspicious activity faster than waiting for a state investigation. Under FINRA Rule 2165, a brokerage firm that reasonably believes a client aged 65 or older is being financially exploited may place a temporary hold on disbursements or transactions.13FINRA. FINRA Rule 2165 – Financial Exploitation of Specified Adults The initial hold runs up to 15 business days and can be extended by another 10 business days if the firm’s review supports the suspicion, with further extension available from a state regulator or court. When you file your DFPS report, mention which financial institutions hold the victim’s accounts so investigators can request records and trace the money.
A Note on Recovering Stolen Money
Reporting to DFPS starts a protective investigation and can lead to criminal charges, but it does not by itself return stolen funds. Recovering assets generally requires a separate civil lawsuit, and the available claims include fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and conversion, along with court orders that undo transfers, require an accounting from an agent under a power of attorney, or remove that agent. The civil standard is preponderance of the evidence, which is lower than the criminal standard, so recovery is possible even without a criminal conviction. An attorney experienced in elder law can evaluate which claims fit the facts.