Delaware County Review

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representatives Troy Balderson (OH-12) and Robin Kelly (IL-2) introduced the Protecting Seniors from Emergency Scams Act, legislation aimed at raising awareness for scams targeting older Americans. The bill directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to update its web portal with information about scams targeting seniors. This portal would allow consumers to search for scams by region and access contact information for law enforcement and adult protective service agencies. It also directs FTC to work with media outlets and law enforcement agencies to distribute this information to seniors and their caregivers.

"Each day, thousands of Americans are deceived by fraudsters," said Balderson, "and unfortunately many of these scams target our senior citizens. This legislation will help us understand how these criminals operate so we can better educate and protect older Americans from falling prey to their schemes."

"Our senior citizens deserve the respect and resources they need to live with dignity and thrive. Scams preying on their fears are unacceptable and often harm entire families," said Kelly. "We have a moral obligation to stop these con artists by empowering seniors with facts and information and empowering the FTC to understand how these criminal operations start and prevent them from continuing."

In 2022 alone, the FBI received 88,262 fraud complaints from Americans aged 60 or older, resulting in $3.1 billion in losses. The Protecting Seniors From Emergency Scams Act would direct the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to issue a report on the types of scams seniors face, the frequency of these scams, and possible policy recommendations to help older adults identify scams before it is too late.