Seniors Fraud Prevention Act of 2017

To establish an advisory office within the Bureau of Consumer Protection of the Federal Trade Commission to prevent fraud targeting seniors, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Seniors Fraud Prevention Act of 2017 2. Office for the Prevention of Fraud Targeting Seniors (a) Establishment of advisory office The Federal Trade Commission shall establish an office within the Bureau of Consumer Protection for the purpose of advising the Commission on the prevention of fraud targeting seniors and to assist the Commission with the following: (1) Oversight The advisory office shall monitor the market for mail, television, Internet, telemarketing, and recorded message telephone call (hereinafter referred to as robocall (2) Consumer education The Commission through the advisory office shall, in consultation with the Attorney General, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Postmaster General, the Chief Postal Inspector for the United States Postal Inspection Service, and other relevant agencies— (A) disseminate to seniors and families and caregivers of seniors general information on mail, television, Internet, telemarketing, and robocall fraud targeting seniors, including descriptions of the most common fraud schemes; (B) disseminate to seniors and families and caregivers of seniors information on reporting complaints of fraud targeting seniors either to the national toll-free telephone number established by the Commission for reporting such complaints, or to the Consumer Sentinel Network, operated by the Commission, where such complaints will become immediately available to appropriate law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the attorneys general of the States; (C) in response to a specific request about a particular entity or individual, provide publically available information of enforcement action taken by the Commission for mail, television, Internet, telemarketing, and robocall fraud against such entity; and (D) maintain a Web site to serve as a resource for information for seniors and families and caregivers of seniors regarding mail, television, Internet, telemarketing, robocall, and other identified fraud targeting seniors. (3) Complaints The Commission through the advisory office shall, in consultation with the Attorney General, establish procedures to— (A) log and acknowledge the receipt of complaints by individuals who believe they have been a victim of mail, television, Internet, telemarketing, and robocall fraud in the Consumer Sentinel Network, and shall make those complaints immediately available to Federal, State, and local law enforcement authorities; and (B) provide to individuals described in subparagraph (A) (b) Commencement The Commission shall commence carrying out the requirements of this section not later than one year after the date of enactment of this Act.

Summary: Seniors Fraud Prevention Act of 2017 This bill directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to establish an office within the Bureau of Consumer Protection to advise the FTC on the prevention of fraud targeting seniors and to assist the FTC in monitoring the market for mail, television, Internet, telemarketing, and recorded message telephone call (robocall) fraud targeting seniors. The office must: (1) disseminate to seniors and their families and caregivers information on the most common fraud schemes, including methods of reporting complaints either to the FTC's national toll-free telephone number or to the FTC's Consumer Sentinel Network, where complaints become immediately available to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, state attorneys general, and other appropriate law enforcement agencies; (2) provide, in response to a specific request about a particular entity or individual, publicly available information regarding the FTC's enforcement action; and (3) maintain a website as a resource for information on fraud targeting seniors. The FTC must establish procedures through such office to: (1) log and acknowledge the receipt of complaints by individuals who believe they have been a victim of such fraud in the Consumer Sentinel Network and to make such complaints immediately available to federal, state, and local law enforcement authorities; and (2) provide individuals with information on such fraud as well as the most common schemes.