Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 114 Part 4.djvu/493

 PUBLIC LAW 106-534—NOV. 22, 2000 114 STAT. 2555 Public Law 106-534 106th Congress An Act To protect seniors from fraud. Nov. 22, 2000 [S. 3164] Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled. Protecting Seniors From SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. Fraud Act. This Act may be cited as the "Protecting Seniors From Fraud ^^^^^ ^^°^ Act". SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 15 USC 6101 Congress makes the following findings: (1) Older Americans are among the most rapidly growing segments of our society. (2) Our Nation's elderly are too frequently the victims of violent crime, property crime, and consumer and telemarketing fraud. (3) The elderly are often targeted and retargeted in a range of fraudulent schemes. (4) The TRIAD program, originally sponsored by the National Sheriffs' Association, International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the American Association of Retired Persons imites sheriffs, police chiefs, senior volunteers, elder care providers, families, and seniors to reduce the criminal victimization of the elderly. (5) Congress should continue to support TRIAD and similar community partnerships that improve the safety and quality of life for millions of senior citizens. (6) There are few other community-based efforts that forge partnerships to coordinate criminal justice and social service resources to improve the safety and security of the elderly. (7) According to the National Consumers League, telemarketing fraud costs consumers nearly $40,000,000,000 each year. (8) Senior citizens are often the target of telemarketing fraud. (9) Fraudulent telemarketers compile the names of consumers who are potentially vulnerable to telemarketing fraud into the so-called "mooch lists". (10) It is estimated that 56 percent of the names on such "mooch lists" are individuals age 50 or older. (11) The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Trade Commission have provided resources to assist privatesector organizations to operate outreach programs to warn senior citizens whose names appear on confiscated "mooch Usts".

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