DeWine: Ohio bill would protect elderly from scams

HAMILTON -- Ohio's elderly would have more protection from financial scams and other abuse under a new bill, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said here Thursday.

Ohio House Bill 24 recently passed the House and is now headed to the Ohio Senate. If approved, the legislation would allow bankers, notaries, financial advisers and others who have contact with the elderly to report possible financial scams they believe are being used on their elderly customers.

DeWine was joined by Butler County's Prosecutor Mike Gmoser, whose department's elderly abuse reporting programs were touted by the attorney general. The bill would create a state commission to prevent senior abuse.

"The number of Ohioans 60 years or older will grow by 60 percent by 2020," said DeWine during a press conference at the prosecutor's office that included local Ohio Representative Wes Retherford (R-Hamilton), one of two lead-sponsors of HB 24.

"Elder abuse is an under-reported crime in Ohio and it's really important this legislation passes," said DeWine, whose appearance in Hamilton marked the first time he's shown public support for the bill in its current form.

DeWine and other officials gave examples of how -- if the new legislation is approved -- it would aid seniors.

Financial institutions, notaries, financial advisers and other organizations that handle financial matters for Ohio seniors would have a legal obligation of reporting potential abuse to local and state officials. In return, if their concerns are later proven unfounded, these financial "first responders" would have increased legal protection against lawsuits.

The bill would also provide local police, fire, EMS, medical personnel and others local and state options to report suspected physical abuse or neglect of the senior citizens.

Moreover, the bill is designed to allow local and state officials to quickly investigate possible financial scams and enlist local judges to immediately order that money stop being withdrawn from the accounts of seniors who are being stolen from, helping to protect their life savings.

Besides creating an Ohio Elder Abuse Commission, the bill would also enlist the help of Ohio's Department of Job and Family Services.

DeWine said his office already has a commission that handles such abuse complaints, but the bill would assure that a new, expanded state commission would not depend on future attorney generals to provide such a service.

Retherford said Ohio's laws regarding elderly abuse "have not been updated in 25 years."

Gmoser, whose office in 2011 started a special task force to investigate and prosecute people who scam senior citizens or abuse them. This included creation of a hotline -- 1-888-662-3673 -- to report problems that will be referred to local police departments for investigation.

The county task force was created in response to a series of cons – thought to be from Spain, Canada and Mexico – that swindled thousands of dollars from unwary seniors after claiming that a grandchild was either jailed, hospitalized or had been in a car wreck in a foreign country.

Alerts about such scams and others are noted for the public on the prosecutor's website.

Retherford predicts the Ohio Senate will pass HB 24, which the Ohio House overwhelmingly approved, and expects the bill to become law by late June.

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DeWine: Ohio bill would protect elderly from scams