U.S. Attorney's Office For The Western
District of North Carolina Takes Part In Department's Wide-Ranging
Efforts To Protect Older Adults
CHARLOTTE,
N.C. – U.S. Attorney Dena J. King joins the Justice Department in
announcing today the results of the Department’s efforts over the past
year to protect older adults from fraud and exploitation. During the
past year, the Department and its law enforcement partners tackled
matters that ranged from mass-marketing scams that impacted thousands of
victims to bad actors scamming their neighbors. Substantial efforts
were also made over the last year to return money to fraud victims.
Today, the Department also announced it is expanding its Transnational
Elder Fraud Strike Force to amplify efforts to combat scams originating
overseas.
“We are intensifying our efforts nationwide to protect older adults,
including by more than tripling the number of U.S. Attorneys’ offices
participating in our Transnational Elder Fraud Strike Force dedicated to
disrupting, dismantling and prosecuting foreign-based fraud schemes
that target American seniors,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland.
“This expansion builds on the Justice Department’s existing work
to hold accountable those who steal funds from older adults, including
by returning those funds to the victims where possible.”
“Financial predators view older adults as a target rich environment,”
said U.S. Attorney King. “The increased presence of elderly individuals
online offers ample opportunities for fraudsters to perpetrate
financial scams on older victims and steal their hard-earned money.
Investigating and prosecuting bad actors who engage in the financial
exploitation of older Americans is a priority for my office. I also urge
older adults, family members, and caretakers to be on the lookout for
schemes targeting the elderly. Prevention and education is the best way
to ensure older adults are protected from this appalling criminal
activity. Reporting financial scams is equally important. If you are the
victim of a scam or suspect an older individual is being financially
victimized take action and report the fraud,” King added.
During the period from September 2021 to September 2022, Department
personnel and its law enforcement partners pursued approximately 260
cases involving more than 600 defendants, both bringing new cases and
advancing those previously charged. During that time frame, the U.S.
Attorney’s Office in the Western District of North Carolina has taken
federal action through the filing of criminal or civil cases involving
financial schemes that targeted or largely affected seniors.
In August 2022, a Liberian national was sentenced
to 10 years in prison for his role in an online romance scam that
targeted older adults. In June 2022, a home health provider was ordered to serve
45 months in prison for stealing more than $1 million from two elderly
clients. In March 2022, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced the
successful forfeiture and return
of stolen cryptocurrency to an elderly individual victimized by a
government imposter scam. Additionally, in May 2022, the U.S.
Attorney’s Office obtained a final forfeiture order for hundreds of
thousands of dollars worth of cryptocurrency, which will be returned to
an elderly victim of a romance/investment scheme. Furthermore, in
December 2021, the Court ordered the forfeiture of a property purchased
with the fraud proceeds perpetrated by the purported caregivers of an
elderly victim. In addition to securing prison sentences for the perpetrators of the fraud, the Justice Department agreed to return the forfeited assets to the victim’s estate.
As part of its efforts to stem the tide of elder financial fraud, the
U.S. Attorney’s Office continues to engage in outreach to the community
to raise awareness about financial scams. Last week, U.S. Attorney King
hosted a scam alert seminar at the Rutherford County Senior Center,
during which participants were presented important information about
financial fraud. Following the presentation, the participants engaged in
a game of “Fraud Bingo,” a fun activity designed to deliver information
and practical tips on how to prevent the financial exploitation and
victimization of older adults by scammers.
The Department also highlighted three other efforts: expansion of the
Transnational Elder Fraud Task Force, success in returning money to
victims and efforts to combat grandparent scams.
The Department announced that as part of its continuing efforts to
protect older adults and bring perpetrators of fraud schemes to justice
it is expanding the Transnational Elder Fraud Strike Force, adding 14
new U.S. Attorney’s Offices. Expansion of the Strike Force will help to
coordinate the Department’s ongoing efforts to combat largest and most
harmful fraud schemes that target or disproportionately impact older
adults.
In the past year, the Department has notified over 550,000 people
that they may be eligible for remission payments. Notifications were
made to consumers whose information was sold by one of three data
companies prosecuted by the Department and were later victims of
“sweepstakes” or “astrology” solicitations that falsely promised prizes
or individualized services in return for a fee. More than 150,000 of
those victims cashed checks totaling $52 million, and thousands more are
eligible to receive checks. Also notified were consumers who paid
fraudsters perpetrating person-in-need scams and job scams via Western
Union. In the past year, the Department has identified and contacted
over 300,000 consumers who may be eligible for remission. Since March of
2020 more than 148,000 victims have received more than $366 million as a
result of a 2017 criminal resolution with Western Union for the
company’s willful failure to maintain an effective anti-money laundering
program and its aiding and abetting of wire fraud.
Over the past year, the Department pursued cases against the
perpetrators of “grandparent scams,” otherwise known as “person-in-need
scams.” These scams typically begin when a fraudster, often based
overseas, contacts an older adult and poses as either a grandchild,
other family member or someone calling on behalf of a family
member. Call recipients are told that their family member is in jeopardy
and is urgently in need of money. When recently sentencing one of eight
perpetrators of a grandparent scam indicted under the Racketeer
Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, a federal judge described such
scams “heartbreakingly evil.” The Department is working with government
partners and others to raise awareness about these schemes.
Reporting from consumers about fraud and fraud attempts is critical
to law enforcements efforts to investigate and prosecute schemes
targeting older adults. If you or someone you know is age 60 or older
and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is available the National
Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-866 FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This Department
of Justice Hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is
staffed by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to
callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying next
steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies,
provide information to callers to assist them in reporting or connect
them with agencies, and provide resources and referrals on a
case-by-case basis. The hotline is staffed seven days a week from 6:00
a.m. to 11:00 p.m. ET. English, Spanish and other languages are
available. More information about the Department’s elder justice efforts
can be found on the Department’s Elder Justice website, www.elderjustice.gov.
Some of the cases that comprise today’s announcement are charges,
which are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent
unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of
law.
Source:
U.S. Attorney's Office For The Western District of North Carolina Takes Part In Department's Wide-Ranging Efforts To Protect Older Adults
