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State AG Rob Bonta today led a multi-state, bipartisan delegation of US attorneys general urging Congress to protect seniors from financial exploitation. (Anne Wernikoff/ CalMatters)
SACRAMENTO - California Attorney General Rob Bonta today urged the U.S. Senate to support and pass the Fraud and Scam Reduction Act (H.R. 1215), a bill which seeks to establish ways to help combat financial exploitation of senior citizens. A bipartisan, multi-state coalition of 46 state attorneys general echoed the call.
Each year, millions of elderly Americans fall victim to some form of financial exploitation. These schemes are often carried out by perpetrators soliciting payments through mail, over the phone, and online. The FBI estimates that nearly $3 billion is lost annually due to elder fraud and scams, and that number is rising rapidly.
State Urges Congress To Pass Bill Protecting Seniors - Oklahoma City, OK - Oklahoma has joined a multi-state, bipartisan delegation urging Congress to pass bills protecting seniors from financial exploitation
May 3, 2021
“Protect all your private information,” state Rep. Jeff Wheeland, R-Loyalsock Township, recently warned. “Guard it with your life.”
Wheeland issued this warning after having the unsettling experience of becoming a victim of identity theft.
The lawmaker became aware of suspicious activity after being notified by the state that his unemployment claim had been denied even though he had never applied for benefits.
Then he found that a credit card he and his wife share was used to make a purchase in Chester County.
He has no idea how his personal information was stolen but can only speculate that somebody obtained his Social Security number.
‘Geek Squad’ email scam targets vulnerable seniors By Ron Hurtibise, South Florida Sun Sentinel
Published: April 6, 2021, 10:25am
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The latest online scam targeting seniors is almost too ingenious not to work. That’s what makes it so devious – and its victims so vulnerable.
Delray Beach, Fla., resident Diane Belz, 68, had no reason to be suspicious on March 1 when she opened an email claiming to be from Best Buy’s Geek Squad. She had opted for a Geek Squad technical support plan when she bought her MacBook in 2017. Like many other older adults venturing into the online universe, she didn’t know how to fix computer problems and wanted to be able to get help when necessary.