Recognizing elderly financial exploitation. Advice?

Speak with elder law attorney
Report to SS administration
Get as involved as you can to get the answers to your gut instincts.

Imho, contact an elder law attorney.

Set up online statements for the bank. The IRS has a get my transcript tool for tax returns, W2s and 1099s.

Report to your local authorities. They will have it checked into. If there is fraud, the local court may appoint a legal guardian for the senior to manage finances and/or medical affairs.

If you do not have POA, the family member does not have to tell you anything. That is the potential problem with POAs.

So you are the new durable POA?

He should provide you with bank records, you have the right to know. If he is not doing this, he might have something to hide.

Contact and elder care attorney.

Consults are typically free.

An attorney will be more able to discern if criminal activity has taken place.

A POA or DPOA has to always act in the best interest of the elder. If they do not, it may be a crime in some situations.

Call Elder Services in that area. There are two parts to Elder Abuse: one is an Elder at Risk. The other is abuse which can be physical, emotional, financial, sexual.
They do NOT divulge who made the report. You can safely deny to family that you did it! I made many reports over the years as a home health nurse and never was it ever told to patient or family that it was me. It allowed me the safety to be able to remain in the home monitoring the situation.

For the banks, contact them and ask for copies of what you need. Tax returns will have to come from IRS, so call and see about getting an appointment to go to your local office with your paperwork in hand. You can explain why you need them/why you don't have the prior years returns. You might also have a cpa do the taxes this year and see if they can request previous years returns. Call one and ask.

If you are the new POA, perhaps you could present your POA paperwork at each of these banks and ask for copies of the records. I believe that banks keep everything for 3.5 years. If you find evidence of exploitation in those records, you can contact law enforcement.

I don't understand why 1099 and tax returns are mentioned... Are you saying you are the current durable PoA for the family member? Was the family member moving around with the previous PoA? Please provide more info.

So much missing here. No one but the POA has any rights to any records, other than the person who conferred POA upon them. I assume you family member is now incompetent; is that correct? Then the POA will serve to handle all his or her financial affairs in his or her best interest. That POA doesn't owe you or other family members any explanations. That POA is also responsible to file and handle tax returns, and tax payments. And that information is also not yours.
If you suspect that an incompetent adult has conferred POA on someone who is incompetent to do the job, or who is doing the job with malice do contact APS with your evidence and suspicions. They will pay a visit to the POA and make certain they are acting in the Elder's interest.