By Lance Robertson, Assistant Secretary for Aging and
Administrator, ACL
On Wednesday, I had the honor of chairing the first-ever
virtual meeting of the Elder Justice Coordinating Council.
The EJCC brings together leaders from across the federal
government to address issues of elder justice nationally. Council members
include the leaders of federal departments, agencies, and entities
administering programs related to abuse, neglect, or financial
exploitation. We were excited to welcome the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security, marking the 15th member of the EJCC.
I'll be honest, we thought fleetingly about postponing this
meeting until we could meet in person. But we knew right away that the
COVID-19 pandemic makes the work of the EJCC even more urgent.
This point was underscored by Secretary of Health and Human
Services Alex Azar, who noted in his introduction to our meeting that the
pandemic and social isolation increase the risk of abuse, neglect, and
exploitation faced by older adults.
Over the last three months, we have seen the emergence of an
alarming number of new scams and fraud schemes taking advantage of the
coronavirus pandemic. Today's EJCC meeting sought to shine a light on
financial exploitation during this pandemic and the work being done to
fight these pernicious practices around the country.
Gary Mottola, Research Director of the Financial Industry
Regulatory Authority Investor Education Foundation, and Emma Fletcher,
Program Analyst, Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection,
presented findings from a study of
people who have been targeted by scams and fraud. The study highlighted
the importance of public awareness, finding that people who knew more about
the methods of scammers, and especially those who had heard about a
specific scam, were less likely to lose money when targeted. The study
reinforced existing research, which has shown that financial insecurity and
social isolation both increase a person’s risk. It also found that people
were more likely to lose money if they tended to blame victims for fraud.
This information can help us develop more effective approaches to educating
people about risks and how to protect themselves.
While this research was conducted before the COVID-19
pandemic, I found the lessons particularly relevant now, as physical
distancing measures are increasing social isolation for many older adults.
In a panel discussion, federal agencies shared
coronavirus-related scams they are tackling:
- Jeffrey Buckner, Associate
Commissioner at the Social Security Administration’s Office of
Communication, discussed scams perpetrated by fraudsters claiming to
be the government. Some of these scammers falsely assert that Social
Security payments could be "suspended" because of the
pandemic. He also discussed efforts to stop "spoofing,"
which makes fraudulent calls appear to be coming from legitimate
numbers.
- Ronald Burke, Executive
Director of Pension and Fiduciary Services at the VA’s Veterans
Benefits Administration, shared information about a scam targeting
Medal of Honor recipients and efforts to protect beneficiaries,
including by improving the screening of fiduciaries.
Our next presenters represented some of the governmental
enforcement agencies that are members of the EJCC.
- Lois Greisman, Associate
Director of the Division of Marketing Practices and Elder Justice
Coordinator at the Federal Trade Commission discussed the data from
the FTC SENTINEL database, including a variety of new COVID-related
scams they are working to stop including “miracle cures,” fake testing
kits, multi-level marketing schemes, robocalls, identity theft, and
fake or stolen government relief checks. The FTC encourages the public
to report
scams and sign up for alerts.
- Antoinette Bacon, Associate
Deputy Attorney General and Elder Justice Coordinator at the
Department of Justice, discussed the record number of cases being
brought by the Department of Justice saying, "fraudsters are
working overtime, but so is the DOJ." She also highlighted work
by the DOJ to stop robocalls and money mules, and the recently
launched National
Elder Fraud Hotline, which is staffed by experienced case
managers who can help guide individuals through the reporting process
at the federal, state, and local levels (1-833-FRAUD11).
- Gary Barksdale, Chief
Postal Inspector at the United States Postal Inspection Service,
provided updates on partnerships to stop fraud, including schemes
involving the hoarding of medical supplies and attempts to steal
unemployment or relief payments.
- Michael Herndon, Acting
Assistant Director of the Office of Older Americans at the
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, walked through the hallmarks of
a typical government imposter scam, including the tactic of giving the
names of real government officials and highlighted a lawsuit CFPB
brought to stop two companies who were falsely representing themselves
as government agencies and misrepresenting debt services. He also
shared CFBP
coronavirus resources and announced a new Elder Fraud
Prevention and Response Networks Development Guide released
today.
A reoccurring theme throughout these presentations was the
importance of partnerships between federal agencies. For example, Associate
Deputy Attorney General Bacon spoke about the importance of FTC complaint
data in DOJ’s enforcement work.
“The more of you out there who file complaints – and
importantly, the more states out there who contribute their data to FTC’s
Consumer Sentinel – the more clues DOJ has in order to better detect
and dismantle these transnational criminal organizations that are running
these large-scale fraud schemes,” she said.
Something else that came up in many of the conversations was
the importance of engaging the entire community in efforts to stop
financial exploitation, and the key role of people who are not often
thought of as being officially connected to elder justice work. For
example, one group of unsung heroes who came up repeatedly was cashiers.
Many scammers will try to get older adults to purchase gift cards, putting
alert cashiers in a unique position to help customers spot scams.
Another important bulwark against financial exploitation can
be frontline staff at financial institutions. Jilenne Gunther, National
Director of AARP BankSafe Initiative, spoke about AARP’s
BankSafe training program for financial institutions. She
explained the free hour-long online training program that has demonstrably
helped bank tellers and other front line staff of financial institutions
identify potential financial exploitation and take actions to stop it. An
evaluation found that the program increased staff knowledge and confidence
in intervening with customers and led to savings for consumers.
Finally, Ronda Kent, Assistant Commissioner for Payment
Management at the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Bureau of the Fiscal
Service, spoke about the Direct Express program. The program offers people
who receive federal benefits like Social Security an alternative to direct
deposit into a bank account, while preserving FDIC protections. People who
choose this option receive their payments on prepaid debit card. An
important element of the program is its robust education campaign, which
educates cardholders about how to avoid fraud associated with the cards,
and understand options for financial transactions.
Reflecting on Wednesday's meeting, I am grateful that we
continue to discover new tools and new partners as we work toward elder
justice. As Sec. Azar said, “collectively, we can be a tremendous force for
good – a force that can be truly effective in addressing elder abuse, neglect,
and exploitation."
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