As a member of the New York City Council Committee on Aging, Councilman Chaim Deutsch has advocated for seniors within the 48th Council District and throughout New York City. Older adults make up 30% of all scam victims and are far more likely to fall prey to fake telemarketing or IRS calls, consumer fraud, or the “fake grandchild scheme.”

Councilman Deutsch introduced his bill, Intro 1086, at a February meeting, and the legislation immediately gained traction among his fellow Council Members.

Councilman Deutsch’s bill, which passed in mid-August by unanimous vote, requires the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs to conduct education and outreach to seniors and their caregivers about ongoing scams. Information will be posted within Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORC) and senior centers. In order to have these educational materials easily accessible, Councilman Deutsch ensured that the information will be distributed in the seven most commonly spoken languages in NYC.

“Scams plague one in every five seniors, who are often targeted because of qualities that make them more susceptible to those looking to cause harm for personal gain,” said Councilman Deutsch. “Older adults above age 60 lose billions of dollars every year, falling victim to schemes and fraud. The outreach generated because of this bill is an important tool to protect those who may be most vulnerable. I am really grateful for the support of NYC Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, the Chair of the Consumer Affairs Committee Councilman Rafael Espinal, and all of my colleagues who unanimously voted in favor of this legislation.”

Tips to Avoid Scams (some information provided by www.caregiver.com):

• Never send money or give out personal information such as credit card numbers, bank account numbers, dates of birth, or Social Security numbers to unfamiliar companies or unknown persons.
• If you have doubts about a telemarketer’s legitimacy, hang up.
• Talk to family and friends or call your lawyer, accountant or banker and get advice before making any large purchase or investment over the phone.
• Check out unfamiliar companies with your local consumer protection agency, Better Business Bureau, the National Fraud Information Center, or other watchdog groups.
• Be sure to sign up for the Federal Trade Commission’s Do-Not-Call-Registry.  Telemarketers who continue to call you after you have registered are subject to penalties. Sign up at www.donotcall.gov or at (888) 382-1222.
• Don’t forget the power to simply hang up the phone when a stranger calls trying to sell you that sounds too good to be true.

Fraud Assistance Resources (courtesy of www.caregiver.com):

• Federal Trade Commission – www.ftc.gov or 877-FTC-HELP (382-4357) – The FTC enforces federal consumer protection laws that prevent fraud, deception and unfair business practices.
• Better Business Bureau – www.bbb.org – The BBB’s mission is to promote and foster the highest ethical relationship between businesses and the public through voluntary self-regulation, consumer and business education, and service excellence. The New York City office can be reached at 212-533-6200.
• The National Fraud Information Center– www.fraud.org or (800) 876-7060 – The NFIC is a project of the National Consumers League and was designed to help people learn about fraud and file complaints.
• American Association of Retired Persons – www.aarp.org – AARP provides seniors with information on financial planning, using home equity, avoiding fraud, and consumer rights.

Click here to report a scam to the Federal Trade Commission online.

Click here to report a scam involving IRS impersonation online.