Roberts Investigative Services
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Elder Financial Exploitation Investigations

Elder financial exploitation investigations across Florida — asset tracing, caregiver vetting and guardianship support for families and counsel.

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Elder Financial Exploitation Investigations

For the Cases Where the Person Taking the Money Was Trusted

Elder exploitation rarely looks like a scam call. Far more often it is somebody with legitimate access — a relative, a caregiver, a recent acquaintance, a holder of a power of attorney — and the family only recognises the pattern once a substantial amount is gone. By then the questions are factual and specific: what left, when, on whose authority, and is any of it recoverable.

Florida has one of the largest concentrations of older adults in the country, and the counties we serve are among the most affected in the state. This is not a peripheral service line here. It is a steady share of the work.

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If someone is in immediate danger, call 911. The Florida Abuse Hotline — 1-800-96-ABUSE (1-800-962-2873) — takes reports of abuse, neglect and exploitation of vulnerable adults. Reporting is free and it is the right first step. An investigation answers factual questions; it is not a substitute for a report.

Please Note: Initial Retainer

This $500 fee serves as an initial retainer to begin the preliminary Case Review, Analysis, and Strategy Development.

Due to the unique nature of investigative work, cases with significant complexity may require additional funding. All services and fees beyond this initial retainer will be discussed with you and require your authorization before proceeding.

What We Investigate

  • Asset tracing and transaction timelines — establishing what was transferred, when, and under whose authority, from records rather than from assumption.
  • Caregiver and companion vetting — background investigation of the person with access, including prior litigation, criminal history and a pattern of similar arrangements elsewhere.
  • Undue influence and isolation patterns — documenting who controls contact, transport, medication and mail. Isolation is usually the mechanism, and it leaves a documentary trace.
  • Power of attorney and fiduciary review — examining whether an instrument was used within its authority, and the circumstances under which it was signed.
  • Guardianship support — factual documentation for Chapter 744 proceedings, for petitioners and for counsel opposing a petition alike.
  • Locating a relative who has been cut off — skip tracing and locating where a family has lost contact with an older relative entirely.
  • Litigation support — working alongside counsel in civil recovery, probate disputes and criminal referrals.

How These Cases Actually Run

Documentary before field. The evidence in an exploitation matter is overwhelmingly on paper and in records. Surveillance has a role, but a firm that opens with surveillance hours is usually selling the wrong thing.

Speed matters more than in most work. Accounts empty. Property transfers complete. Caregivers move on to the next arrangement. The window in which something is recoverable is finite.

The family dynamic is part of the case. Very often the suspected party is another relative, and the instruction arrives with real conflict attached to it. We report what the records show. That is more useful to everyone, including the family members who turn out to have been wrong.

We stay in our lane. We do not determine capacity, provide legal advice, or decide whether a crime occurred. We establish facts, document them properly, and hand them to the people whose decisions those are.

Licensed and accountable. Roberts Investigative Services holds Florida agency licence #A1600287, and our investigators hold their own Class C licences. Every case is worked inside Chapter 493 and Florida Statute 934.03 — no pretexting into accounts, which in financial matters is both the obvious shortcut and the fastest way to make evidence useless.

Your Questions Answered

What counts as elder exploitation under Florida law?
Florida Statute 825.103 covers exploitation of an elderly person or disabled adult — broadly, knowingly obtaining or using their funds, assets or property, or endeavouring to, either through a position of trust and confidence or by knowing that the person lacks the capacity to consent. The important part for families is that it does not require a stranger or a scam. Most of the matters we are instructed on involve someone with legitimate access: a relative, a caregiver, a new friend, or a holder of a power of attorney.
Should I call you or Adult Protective Services first?
If an older adult is in immediate danger, call 911. If you suspect abuse, neglect or exploitation, the Florida Abuse Hotline is 1-800-96-ABUSE (1-800-962-2873), and reporting to them costs nothing and is the right first step. An investigator is the right instrument once there is a factual question to settle — where the money went, who has access, whether the account of events holds up — often alongside a report rather than instead of one.
How do you investigate this without distressing the person involved?
Most of the work never touches them. Elder exploitation cases are predominantly documentary: account and property records, deed and title history, corporate filings, timelines of access and transactions. Where an interview is genuinely necessary, Danielle is a board-certified forensic interviewer, which matters a great deal when someone has cognitive decline — a badly conducted interview both distresses the person and destroys the evidentiary value of what they said.
Can you help with a guardianship matter?
Yes, on either side. Guardianship proceedings under Florida Chapter 744 frequently turn on contested factual claims — about capacity, about living conditions, about who has been managing what. We document the circumstances as they actually are, for petitioners, for counsel opposing a petition, and for court-appointed attorneys. We do not assess capacity; that is a clinical determination, and any firm offering it is outside its lane.
Is it too late if the money is already gone?
Often not, though speed matters. Funds leave a trail even after they move, and asset tracing, transaction timelines and property transfers frequently remain recoverable evidence long after the account is empty. What degrades fastest is the surrounding context — witnesses' memories, caregiver employment records, and the window in which a transfer might still be reversible. If you are weighing whether to call, call earlier.

Start With a Conversation

Tell us what you are seeing. We will tell you honestly whether an investigation will help, whether this should go to the Abuse Hotline or an attorney first, and what it would cost.

The information provided on this website is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Please consult with an attorney for advice regarding your specific situation.

Where We Work

These matters come to us from across the state — the retirement communities of Highlands County, the coastal and country-club communities of Palm Beach County and Martin County, Indian River County and anywhere else in Florida.

Further Reading

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Every case is handled with discretion and a commitment to court-ready results. Reach out for a free, confidential consultation.

Request a Consultation Call (888) 772-7894