On his podcast, Clark Howard answers real reader questions on money, credit, debt, retirement, travel, and more, along with co-host Christa DiBiase.

Clark's answer: Tanya, my heart absolutely goes out to you right now. Dealing with this is incredibly tough, and I don't know if you're the lone ranger here or if you have siblings who can step in. Whether this falls entirely on your shoulders or not, you need legal authority immediately. If your father is still considered to be of sound mind, you need him to execute a durable power of attorney right away. Even in the early stages of cognitive decline, before a formal diagnosis, people are uniquely vulnerable to being targeted by these crooks. They will not stop until they've wiped him out, so you have to step in and get control before he opens a new account and reroutes his pension and Social Security.

If your dad is already at a point where the state of Ohio would consider him legally incompetent, you're going to need professional help to secure that legal control. If you feel overwhelmed and don't know where to turn, you should reach out to an elder law attorney right away. This is their specialty — all they do is help families navigate these exact situations. You might hesitate at the thought of paying a lawyer, but the cost of an attorney is far less than the devastating financial loss of criminals stealing your dad's life savings. Don't carry this entirely on your own — rally any key family members, consult an elder law attorney, and consider working with a geriatric social worker. Even if you're an only child or the only one willing to step up, these professionals handle this every single day. They will know exactly how to help you protect your father from the scammers, protect him from himself, and protect you in the process.