AARP Backs Legislation to Help Local Police Fight Elder Fraud

Police lack resources as finance scams skyrocket 

State and local law enforcement often report being overwhelmed by the increasing volume of fraud cases they receive. Officers also say they lack access to advanced tools and specialized skills in financial investigations, particularly for crimes exploiting new technologies and payment methods, like cryptocurrencies.

As a result, many cases may not be fully pursued when they don’t reach the threshold warranting federal investigation. That leaves older victims and their families devastated and with little recourse.

AARP hears from many of these fraud victims through our AARP Fraud Victim Support Group and Fraud Watch Network Helpline, which receives approximately 100,000 calls a year, Sweeney wrote in AARP’s letter. “Their stories are heart wrenching – even more so because so many of these criminals are able to get away with it,” he wrote.

GUARD Act grantees would be law enforcement agencies “investigating elder financial fraud, pig butchering, and general financial fraud,” according to the bill. The term ‘pig butchering’ refers to a type of scam in which criminals gradually build a personal relationship with their victims online before exploiting them financially, often through fake cryptocurrency investments or other fraudulent schemes.

Law enforcement agencies would be permitted to spend their funds on hiring and retaining expert personnel, providing training specific to complex financial investigations, obtaining software and technical tools or developing better data collection and collaboration with other law enforcement agencies. The Act would allow federal agencies to assist grantees by giving them access to sophisticated federal tracing tools for blockchain and related technologies. Law enforcement agencies receiving grants would be required to report their findings and results to the federal government within a year of using the money.

“The GUARD Act provides 21st-century solutions to an ever-evolving problem,” Nunn said during his April 21 press conference. “We're empowering our local law enforcement to do the things necessary to help protect our communities.”

Fighting fraud is an AARP priority

Support for the GUARD Act is just one of the ways AARP works to protect older adults from fraud and scams. 

This year, we also endorsed federal legislation that mandates transparency from robocallers using artificial intelligence (AI) and doubles financial penalties for those who use AI to commit fraud. Another fraud-related bill we’ve endorsed, the Preventing Deep Fake Scams Act, would establish a dedicated task force to explore the use of AI to commit and detect financial fraud.

AARP has also submitted comments in response to proposed rules from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, where we support efforts to curb identity theft and coerced debt, which have been the most common types of fraud reported to AARP’s Fraud Watch Network helpline for the past two years, and crack down on data brokers, who have increasingly helped facilitate fraud schemes by selling and mishandling data.

AARP also recently joined Amazon, Google and Walmart to create the National Elder Fraud Coordination Center. This center will help detect connections among fraud cases targeting older Americans and share that analysis with law enforcement agencies to help them focus investigations across local and state lines.

At the state level, we are pushing for stronger regulations on cryptocurrency ATMs, which criminals increasingly use to commit fraud. We have worked with lawmakers in at least 18 states to introduce legislation that would create protections, such as daily transaction limits, state operator license requirements, refund options for losses due to fraud, plus others.

AARP offers a wealth of resources to help older adults protect themselves. To stay ahead of the latest tactics, visit our Fraud Resource Center, listen to our podcast The Perfect Scam and use our scam-tracking map to find or report scams where you live. If you’ve been targeted, call our Fraud Watch Network Helpline at 877-908-3360 for support.