15 U.S.C. § 45e: Office for the prevention of fraud targeting seniors

The advisory office shall monitor the market for mail, television, internet, telemarketing, and recorded message telephone call (in this section referred to as “robocall”) fraud targeting seniors and shall coordinate with other relevant agencies regarding the requirements of this section. 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; 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; in response to a specific request about a particular entity or individual, provide publicly available information of any enforcement action taken by the Commission for mail, television, internet, telemarketing, and robocall fraud against such entity; and maintain a website 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. 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 provide to individuals described in subparagraph (A), and to any other persons, specific and general information on mail, television, internet, telemarketing, and robocall fraud, including descriptions of the most common schemes using such methods of communication. The Commission shall commence carrying out the requirements of this section not later than 1 year after March 15, 2022 . No additional funds are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section and the Commission shall carry out this section using amounts otherwise made available to the Commission. There is established a Senior Scams Prevention Advisory Group (in this subtitle [subtitle A of div. Q of Pub. L. 117–103 , amending section 21711 of Title 34 , Crime Control and Law Enforcement, and enacting provisions set out as notes under section 58 of this title and section 21711 of Title 34 ] referred to as the ‘Advisory Group’). The Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission. The Secretary of the Treasury. The Attorney General. The Director of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection. Retail. Gift cards. Telecommunications. Wire-transfer services. Senior peer advocates. Consumer advocacy organizations with efforts focused on preventing seniors from becoming the victims of scams. Financial services, including institutions that engage in digital currency. Prepaid cards. A member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. A prudential regulator, as defined in section 1002 of the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 ( 12 U.S.C. 5481 ). The Director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. Any other Federal, State, or local agency, industry representative, consumer advocate, or entity, as determined by the Federal Trade Commission. A member of the Advisory Group shall serve without compensation in addition to any compensation received for the service of the member as an officer or employee of the United States, if applicable. may be used as a guide to educate employees on how to identify and prevent scams that affect seniors; and useful information for retailers, financial services, and wire transfer companies for the purpose described in clause (i); training for employees on ways to identify and prevent senior scams; best practices for keeping employees up to date on current scams; the most effective signage and placement in retail locations to warn seniors about scammers’ use of gift cards, prepaid cards, and wire transfer services; suggestions on effective collaborative community education campaigns; available technology to assist in identifying possible scams at the point of sale; and 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 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 create model materials, best practices guidance, or recommendations to fill those inadequacies, omissions, or deficiencies that may be used by industry and others to help protect older adults from scams. make the materials or guidance created by the Federal Trade Commission described in paragraph (1) publicly available; and encourage the use and distribution of the materials created under this subsection to prevent scams affecting seniors by governmental agencies and the private sector.”