It’s a Holiday Miracle- Bipartisan Bills in Both Houses of Congress to Protect Older Adults

by: Shana Siegel, Norris McLaughlin P.A.

Scams targeting Americans aged 60 and up reported to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) in 2024 reached $2.4 billion, well in excess of the previous year’s reports of $1.9 billion, according to the annual study published by the FTC on Dec. 1, 2025. And older Americans are less likely to report fraud -- Keith B. Anderson, former economist in the FTC, noted that as few as 3% of victims actually report fraud to a government entity. Therefore, the FTC estimates $61.5 billion as a more realistic measure of the value stolen from senior adults. FBI data shows the average amount lost by older adults in 2024 was over $83,000. Seniors are uniquely vulnerable to scams due to factors including isolation, loneliness, and reduction in processing speed. Those with cognitive impairment, even if mild, are even more at risk.

Two bills, the STOP Scams Against Seniors Act and the National Strategy for Combating Scams Act have been introduced with the goal of coordinating the federal response to scams and improving the cooperation among the state and federal authorities. The latter bill works as an organizational restructuring “to streamline cooperation among the many federal agencies responsible for addressing different forms of fraud.”

The Senate legislation would establish a federal working group led by the FBI to coordinate the efforts of more than a dozen federal agencies in combating scams. The house bill would authorize the creation of Elder Justice Task Forces to help local, state, and federal agencies work together to investigate and prosecute illegal scammers. The legislation encourages better use of technology, expanded data collection, and stronger partnerships with banks, tech companies, and law enforcement to help prevent scams and support victims.

The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) is just one of the advocacy groups supporting the bills. Scams are one of many forms of elder exploitation. Elder lawyers work to prevent and halt financial exploitation of older adults. We can also help recover lost funds in some instances. You can view my video podcast to learn more about how to protect against elder exploitation. 

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It’s a Holiday Miracle- Bipartisan Bills in Both Houses of Congress to Protect Older Adults 

Commission on Elder Law to help protect older adults

by Zach Richardson 

QUINCY, Ill (KHQA) — As people advance in age, they become more vulnerable to people taking advantage of their finances and legal rights.

The Illinois Supreme Court wants to help change that.

"It's really important that the court system be able to have the tools it needs to protect their interest and to make sure that nobody is preying on the elderly," said attorney Chris Scholz.

The court has established the Commission on Elder Law to study ways in which the state can better serve the needs of those individuals advancing in age.

The Commission will look at the role the court plays in cases such as guardianship as well as the Judicial Branch's obligation to protect the legal rights of the most vulnerable population.

The Commission also wants to hear from the people to be able to make recommendations for Judicial Branch policies, procedures and supreme court rules to help reduce attempts to defraud seniors and mitigate their effects.

To come up with the best possible solution, the Commission is composed of a variety of members.

"We're going to have a medical perspective, a law enforcement perspective, elected official perspective, a judicial perspective, the lawyer perspective and others all filtering the information that the public provides us to reach a solution," said first chair Kerry Peck.

The Commission seeks to protect all elders from being taken advantage of, but Scholz says the population that the commission will benefit the most are those who are unable to make important decisions on their own.

"Primarily, I think the Commission will be helping to educate and inform the court system about ways, particularly guardianship cases when they become necessary, to help the court system best serve the interest of the disabled adult,” Scholz said. “That's paramount."

Peck is thrilled to deliver new changes and innovative ideas to tackle these elder law issues.

"I'm honored that the supreme court has chosen me to lead this Commission and thank the court for its support as we embark on this very important endeavor for both the court and the people of the state of Illinois," said Peck.

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Commission on Elder Law to help protect older adults

Metro Detroit man develops online resource center to protect older adults from nest egg scams

Predators, thieves and scammers beware

 

The numbers are alarming. One out of every 20 older adults in this country is robbed of thousands of dollars every year due to fraud, identity theft and scams.

 

By: Andrea Isom

(WXYZ) — The numbers are alarming. One out of every 20 older adults in this country is robbed of thousands of dollars every year due to fraud, identity theft and scams.

But the good news is a metro Detroit man has made it his duty to protect them.

7 Action News Reporter Andrea Isom tells us how he and his team of advocates are working to weed out the bad guys. The tool used to battle the predators, who see the more vulnerable population as easy prey, is called Older Adult Nest Egg.

On the website, there are dozens of resources on how to avoid being financially exploited, and if it does happen, there are resources on how to recover. The website is working for people in metro Detroit and beyond.

Visit the online resource center here.

 

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Metro Detroit man develops online resource center to protect older adults from nest egg scams