Title: Stop Senior Scams Act
Policy area: Commerce

Summary:
Stop Senior Scams Act
This bill establishes a Senior Scams Prevention Advisory Council, which shall create model educational materials to educate employees of retailers, financial-services companies, and wire-transfer companies on how to identify and prevent scams that affect seniors.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 149 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 149

        To establish a Senior Scams Prevention Advisory Council.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 16, 2019

 Mr. Casey (for himself and Mr. Moran) introduced the following bill; 
    which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 
                      Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
        To establish a Senior Scams Prevention Advisory Council.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Stop Senior Scams Act''.

SEC. 2. SENIOR SCAMS PREVENTION ADVISORY COUNCIL.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established a Senior Scams Prevention 
Advisory Council (referred to in this Act as the ``Advisory Council'').
    (b) Members.--The Advisory Council shall be composed of the 
following members or the designees of those members:
            (1) The Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission.
            (2) The Secretary of the Treasury.
            (3) The Attorney General.
            (4) The Director of the Bureau of Consumer Financial 
        Protection.
            (5) Not more than 2 representatives from each of the 
        following sectors, including trade associations, to be selected 
        by the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission:
                    (A) Retail.
                    (B) Gift card.
                    (C) Telecommunications.
                    (D) Wire-transfer services.
                    (E) Senior peer advocates.
                    (F) Consumer advocacy organization with efforts 
                focused on preventing seniors from becoming the victims 
                of scams.
                    (G) Financial services, including institutions who 
                engage in digital currency.
                    (H) Prepaid cards.
            (6) A member of the Board of Governors of the Federal 
        Reserve System.
            (7) A prudential regulator, as defined in section 1002 of 
        the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 (12 U.S.C. 5481).
            (8) The Director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement 
        Network.
            (9) Any other Federal, State, or local agency, industry 
        representative, consumer advocate, or entity, as determined by 
        the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission.
    (c) Duties.--
            (1) In general.--The Advisory Council shall, while 
        considering public comment--
                    (A) collect information on the existence, use, and 
                success of model educational materials and programs for 
                retailers, financial services and wire-transfer 
                companies, which--
                            (i) may be used as a guide to educate 
                        employees on how to identify and prevent scams 
                        that affect seniors; and
                            (ii) include--
                                    (I) useful information for 
                                retailers, financial services, and wire 
                                transfer companies for the purpose 
                                described in clause (i);
                                    (II) training for employees on ways 
                                to identify and prevent senior scams;
                                    (III) the best methods for keeping 
                                employees up to date on current scams;
                                    (IV) the most effective signage and 
                                best placement for signage in retail 
                                locations to warn seniors about 
                                scammers' use of gift cards, prepaid 
                                cards, and wire transfer services;
                                    (V) suggestions on effective 
                                collaborative community education 
                                campaigns;
                                    (VI) available technology to assist 
                                in identifying possible scams at the 
                                point of sale; and
                                    (VII) other information that would 
                                be helpful to retailers, wire transfer 
                                companies, financial institutions, and 
                                their employees as they work to prevent 
                                fraud affecting seniors; and
                    (B) based on the findings in subparagraph (A)--
                            (i) identify inadequacies, omissions, or 
                        deficiencies in those educational materials and 
                        programs for the categories listed in 
                        subparagraph (A) and their execution in 
                        reaching employees to protect older adults; and
                            (ii) create model materials to fill those 
                        inadequacies, omissions, or deficiencies.
            (2) Encouraged use.--The Chairman of the Federal Trade 
        Commission shall, after the public comment period is complete--
                    (A) make the model educational materials and 
                programs and information about execution of the 
                programs described in paragraph (1) publicly available; 
                and
                    (B) encourage the use and distribution of the 
                materials created under this subsection to prevent 
                scams affecting seniors by governmental agencies and 
                the private sector.
    (d) Reports.--Section 101(c) of the Elder Abuse Prevention and 
Prosecution Act (34 U.S.C. 21711(c)) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (C), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in subparagraph (D), by striking the period at the end 
        and inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(E) for the Federal Trade Commission, include 
                information on--
                            ``(i) the Senior Scams Prevention Advisory 
                        Council's newly created model materials, any 
                        recommendations of the Advisory Council, and 
                        any views or considerations made by members of 
                        the Advisory Council or by public comment that 
                        were not included in the Advisory Council's 
                        model materials or considered an official 
                        recommendation by the Advisory Council;
                            ``(ii) the Senior Scams Prevention Advisory 
                        Council's findings about senior scams 
                        (including information about the ways scams 
                        affect seniors, including the negative effects 
                        on their well-being); and
                            ``(iii) any recommendations on ways 
                        stakeholders can continue to work together to 
                        reduce scams affecting seniors.''.
    (e) Termination.--This Act, and the amendments made by this Act, 
ceases to be effective on the date that is 5 years after the date of 
enactment of this Act.
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