COLUMBUS, OHIO — Ohio Auditor of State Keith Faber, the Republican candidate for Ohio Attorney General, is calling on Ohioans to take elder abuse seriously — and laying out what he will do to stop it. In a new op-ed published today in the Cincinnati Enquirer, Faber argues that protecting the state’s seniors must be a top priority for the next Attorney General.
Faber writes from experience. In conversations with sheriffs, prosecutors, and local law enforcement across Ohio, he has heard firsthand that older Ohioans are targeted every single day — by criminals who exploit trust, isolation, fear, and confusion. Elder abuse is not rare, and it is not abstract. It takes the form of physical mistreatment, neglect in care settings, emotional manipulation, financial exploitation, and sophisticated scams designed to strip away a lifetime of savings. The perpetrator may be a stranger calling from across the country or someone much closer to home.
His record as Auditor gives him a foundation for this fight. Faber spent years tracking fraud, waste, and abuse in government — auditing public dollars, fortifying internal controls, and following the facts wherever they led. That work taught him that fraud is never just a number on a spreadsheet; behind every case is a real person who was harmed.
As Attorney General, Faber says he will expand that mission. He would make elder justice a priority by empowering the front-line partners who catch warning signs first — sheriffs, prosecutors, police departments, Adult Protective Services professionals, victim advocates, and financial institutions — while ensuring every community knows how to report abuse and that every report gets a thorough investigation. He would put the full resources of the Attorney General’s Office to work: its Consumer Protection Section, health care fraud enforcement, special prosecutions unit, victim services, and investigative capacity.
Financial exploitation and cyber fraud demand particular vigilance. Criminals routinely impersonate government agencies, banks, charities, tech companies, and even family members in distress, weaponizing fear, urgency, and secrecy against their victims. Faber recently joined federal law enforcement partners as they announced indictments against members of a criminal organization behind a romance scam that targeted Ohio seniors — and he pledges to keep working across local, state, and federal lines to pursue those who prey on Ohioans.
Faber put it plainly on social media: “Every Ohioan deserves to age with dignity, security, and peace of mind. As Attorney General, I’ll work every day to protect seniors from fraud, financial exploitation, abuse, and the criminals who target them. Read more in my latest op-ed.”
Read Faber’s full op-ed, “Ohio must do more to protect its seniors,” in the Cincinnati Enquirer.
