Legislation sponsored by Senator Carmen Amato, Jr., Assemblyman Brian Rumpf and Assemblyman Gregory Myhre (R-Ocean) to increase penalties for identity theft targeting seniors and veterans was unanimously approved this week by the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee.
The 9th Legislative District Delegation issued the following joint statement upon the committee’s passage of S-1526:
“Many of our constituents are seniors and veterans that are increasingly alarmed about being specifically targeted for identity theft by fraudsters. Statistics show they are justified in being alarmed as seniors and veterans can be common targets for fraudsters, for such reasons as social isolation or a steady income consisting of veterans’ benefits, disability payments or other government programs.”
“In 2023, more than 2,000 seniors in New Jersey reported scams to the FBI, and the state had $251.7 million in fraud losses reported to the Federal Trade Commission. Nationally, seniors lost over $3.4 billion to scams in 2023.”
“Essentially, our legislation would strengthen existing State law by increasing penalties by one degree when the victim is a senior or veteran. For example, current law provides that if an actor obtains a benefit or deprives another of a benefit in an amount of at least $500, but less than $75,000 or the offense involves the identity of at least two but less than five victims, the actor is guilty of a crime of the third degree. Under our legislation, if any of the victims is a senior citizen or a veteran, the offense constitutes a crime of the second degree.”
The Delegation’s legislation has bipartisan support with Senator Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen, Passaic) as Second Prime Sponsor.
Presently, S-1526 is awaiting further consideration by the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, which Senator Amato serves on, while the companion measure, A-2808 (Rumpf/Myhre), is awaiting consideration by the Assembly Public Safety and Preparedness Committee.
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