Personal Finance & Estate › Fraud, scams & protecting family › Elder financial abuse
Adult Protective Services (APS)
County-run in CA· Government program
Law or rule (2026)Set by statute, regulation or the agency; numbers change yearly.
County social-services teams that investigate reported abuse, neglect and exploitation of older and dependent adults living in the community.
See it on the Personal Finance & Estate map →How it works
Anyone can report, anonymously, by phone or online, 24 hours a day; caregivers, doctors and bank employees must report suspected financial abuse. A social worker responds within 24 hours if danger is immediate, otherwise within 10 days, and can arrange services, alert police or the district attorney, or refer the case to the county Public Guardian. Adults with capacity may refuse help. Abuse inside nursing homes and assisted living goes to the Long-Term Care Ombudsman or police instead.
Why it matters for you
APS is often the fastest public route when a parent is being exploited by someone they still trust, and a report creates an official record.
Rules, limits and sources (2026)
California Welfare and Institutions Code Secs. 15600 onward set APS duties and mandated reporting; the Department of Social Services oversees the 58 county programs and publishes monthly caseload data.
Watch out for
Caseloads have grown faster than staffing, and how well voluntary services protect people who refuse help while being exploited is debated.
Connections (2)
▸Adult Protective Services (APS) investigates Elder financial abuseLaw or rule (2026)
How they connect
APS is the county agency that receives and investigates reports of elder financial abuse outside care facilities. A social worker visits, assesses whether the person is being exploited or can still manage money, offers services, and can bring in police, the district attorney or the Public Guardian.
When it applies
In each of California's 58 counties, under statewide standards since 1999; bank and credit-union employees became mandated reporters of suspected financial abuse in 2007.
The rule
Welfare and Institutions Code Secs. 15630.1 and 15763 set reporting and response rules; state APS reports show financial abuse among the most common allegations.
Watch out for
How many substantiated cases end in recovered money or prosecution is poorly tracked, and responses vary from county to county.
▸Adult Protective Services (APS) may refer cases for Conservatorship (court control without a POA)Law or rule (2026)
How they connect
When APS finds an adult who cannot manage money, is being exploited and has no valid power of attorney or trustee, it can refer the case to the county Public Guardian, which may petition for conservatorship. That court process is the fallback when no one was legally named in advance.
When it applies
In California's counties; the Public Guardian, a county office, steps in when no suitable relative can serve, and can seek emergency temporary orders.
The rule
California Probate Code Secs. 2900 onward authorize public guardians; APS referral rules sit in the Welfare and Institutions Code.
Watch out for
Conservatorship strips rights and costs money, so when APS should refer, and whether supported decision-making would suffice instead, is debated.