The Task Force on Fraud Against Older Adults is up and running, and the public will be asked to share concerns about fraud in a series of hearings across the state.
The Task Force was created by the General Assembly to scrutinize fraud and recommend ways the legislature and the state attorney general’s office can protect senior citizens against scams.
This is a good idea. Much of the work in the attorney general’s office involves consumer protection. Scams are proliferating, and older residents are often the target of fraud. With many seniors living on fixed incomes, con artists see them as easy marks in a worrisome economy. Ironically, the scams often center around schemes for improving income, saving money or enhancing medical protection.
The cons pitch ways to stretch a dollar, fix up the home, or maintain the car. The scams pretend to be notices or phone calls from banks, the IRS, Social Security, Medicare and other government entities warning the recipient of impending financial disaster or an unexpected windfall. These notices appear to be official, but they’re fake – as fake as the person who comes to the door about a bill or tax matter, or the phone call claiming a family member has been injured or detained and needs money.
There are as many different scams as there are con artists.
Lawmakers want to beef up protection for older North Carolinians. Attorney General Roy Cooper is all for it. He selected NC Rep. Hugh Blackwell from Burke County and state Sen. Stan Bingham of Davidson County to co-chair the task force. It has four main goals:
1. Pinpoint possible changes in the law needed to strengthen protection for seniors from fraud and abuse.
2. Establish a statewide reporting system on scam incidents.
3. Identify opportunities for banks, financial management personnel and law enforcement to work together to prevent incidents of fraud.
4. Expand the authority of the state attorney general to prosecute and not depend solely on local district attorneys.
The schedule of public hearings has not been set, but the task force had its first meeting last month. The membership contains representatives from public and private agencies and organizations that support senior citizens.
Blackwell is excited about the task force and what it can accomplish. He’s sending out the call for everyone to share their experiences and their opinions about scams and older residents when the public hearings are announced. We echo his invitation and hope his enthusiasm for insulating our seniors from fraud results in packed meeting rooms and thoughtful insight.
Cooper’s office also has ways the public can share ideas and suggestions. We encourage North Carolina residents to speak out on this issue. And residents should never shy away from commenting on any topic through the appropriate conduits to the legislature, the council of state and the governor’s office.
Contact Hugh Blackwell at Hugh.Blackwell@ncleg.net.
For more on the task force and consumer protection, go to http://www.ncdhhs.gov/aging/fraud/alert.htm.
For the General Assembly, go to www.ncleg.net.
For the NC Attorney General’s office, go to www.ncdoj.com.
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