Minister of Social Development and Family Services Donna Cox, will be meeting with the Police Commissioner today (Wednesday) to discuss how the elderly can be protected against the theft of pension cheques and other such crimes.
Minister Cox said her ministry has been getting reports almost every week of someone reporting their cheques missing.
Once traced, the minister stated, these cheques are cashed at supermarkets.
In an interview with GML, she said “I met with the Supermarkets Association and they have promised to work with us because they need to have more stringent measures but part of the problem they tell us is some people go with false ID cards.”
She added “We are not sure where this is emanating from but somewhere between TTPost and getting to the person, the cheques are stolen.”
Minister Cox said this is putting a financial strain on the state, as even though cheques were fraudulently cashed, the state still has to issue new ones to the affected pensioners.
She also pointed out “Now that the pension is a good amount of money, there are persons living off of their family member’s pension and are not taking care of them properly.”
However, the minister revealed that legislation to enhance the rights of the elderly will soon be brought to Parliament, as neglect and financial abuse are the biggest challenges facing the elderly population in Trinidad and Tobago.
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