COVID scam artists targeting seniors
Payson Roundup
A bipartisan group of senators this week urged the Federal Trade Commission to protect Arizona seniors from COVID-19 related scams.
“We must protect Arizona’s seniors from criminal fraudsters seeking to take advantage of this public health emergency,” said Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema.
Given that the most severe cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. are among seniors, bad actors have used the heightened public fears to target seniors with calls, telling them of nonexistent COVID-19 vaccinations. Scammers have gone as far as visiting the homes of elderly people to administer fake tests while also charging them and getting their social security numbers.
In their bipartisan letter, the Senators ask what actions the FTC is taking to educate seniors on how to protect themselves from COVID-19 related scams and to assist seniors who are victims of fraud.
To raise awareness, Sinema recently partnered with Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich alert Arizona seniors of COVID-19 related scams and provide seniors with helpful resources in case they are victims of bad actors.
This letter complements Sinema’s work on the bipartisan Senior Security Act, which would create a task force at the Securities and Exchange Commission to protect seniors from financial crimes.
Sinema has also added a resources page to her website, www.sinema.senate.gov/corona, for Arizonans looking for the latest information on coronavirus.