New legislation to fight senior scams

CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WKBW) - It is a complaint that law enforcement is hearing more often: seniors becoming the victim of scams and fraud.  The criminal actions have also left countless seniors in financial distress with tens of thousands of seniors in New York affected every year.

Friday morning, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand was at the Cheektowaga Senior Center to announce new legislation that she is introducing in the 115th Congress that would help deal with the problem.

Called the "Senior Financial Empowerment Act," the proposed legislation would improve the way elder financial abuse is reported among agencies, establish a national hotline on how and where seniors can report fraud, and provide more resources to combat the problem before it happens.

John Flynn, Erie County's newly elected district attorney, said currently in Erie County the most popular scam is people calling pretending to be relatives in crisis needing money.

Flynn encourages seniors to never send cash or share banking information, including social security numbers, over the phone.

More information about preventing senior scams is available on the Better Business Bureau website https://www.bbb.org/wisconsin/programs-services/savvy-senior-scam-center/

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New legislation to fight senior scams