New federal bill aims to better protect Florida seniors from scams
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. —
For many people in Southwest Florida, retirement savings represent a lifetime of hard work. Now, federal lawmakers are backing new legislation designed to help protect those savings from scammers.
U.S. Senator Ashley Moody, R-Florida, is sponsoring the Stop Scams Against Seniors Act, a bill that would create Elder Justice Task Forces to strengthen investigations into scams targeting older Americans.
Under the proposal, the task forces would bring together local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to investigate fraud schemes, coordinate prosecutions and build stronger cases against scammers.
The effort comes as officials warn that financial scams targeting seniors continue to grow in both frequency and sophistication.
“The amount of money that seniors are losing to scams is rapidly increasing every year,” Moody said. “As technology is increasing, so are the ways that they are targeting our seniors. So, we have to think outside the box, and we have to do things differently.”
The proposal follows a similar effort in Florida earlier this year. In February, state Senator Ileana Garcia introduced legislation that would have imposed civil penalties of up to $250,000 on telecommunications companies that knowingly provided fraudulent caller ID information used in scam calls or text messages. That bill did not pass during the legislative session.
Supporters of the new federal legislation say the measure would give states additional resources to investigate scams, improve coordination among law enforcement agencies and better protect seniors from financial fraud.
The Stop Scams Against Seniors Act has been introduced in Congress but must still pass both the House and Senate before it can become law.
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