Issue Position: Fighting For Seniors

Issue Position

* Work with AAAs to root out elder financial abuse.

* Enlist banks to help detect elder financial exploitation.

* Increase information sharing to identify recurring scams and patterns of abuse.

* Work with AAAs to root out elder financial abuse.

* Train law enforcement on working with seniors' specific concerns.

* Establish and expand regional financial fraud and identity theft task forces.

* Expand protection from abuse orders to cover non-family caregivers.

Work with AAAs to root out elder financial abuse

As Attorney General, Shapiro will implement the recommendation of the Elder Abuse Task Force to make financial investigators available to assist local prosecutors and Area Aging Agencies (AAAs) when complex cases of elder financial abuse are alleged.

Enlist banks to help detect elder financial exploitation

Banks play a critical role in detecting elder financial abuse. In the absence of a mandatory reporting requirement, Shapiro will establish a voluntary public-private partnership with the Department of Aging and individual banks and financial institutions. This partnership will provide training to banks on ways to recognize possible financial exploitation, as well as the laws surrounding reporting and privacy.

Increase information sharing to identify recurring scams and patterns of abuse

To avoid detection, scammers and other criminals often try perpetrating the same scams in different communities. Shapiro will direct the Attorney General's Elder Abuse Unit to strengthen information sharing with law enforcement, elderly services providers, AAAs and seniors advocates to establish patterns of abuse and catch those criminals before they strike again.

Train law enforcement on working with seniors' specific concerns

As Attorney General, Shapiro will expand trainings for police designed to educate and sensitize officers to issues that affect older citizens. These trainings will also help officers identify the warning signs of elder abuse.

Establish and expand regional financial fraud and identity theft task forces

Shapiro will establish and expand regional identity theft task forces to bring together representatives from major financial institutions, local law enforcement, prosecutors, federal agents and representatives from the AG's office in specific regions to work together to combat identify theft and other fraudulent financial transactions that affect all consumers, but particularly seniors.

Expand protection from abuse orders to cover non-family caregivers

Under Pennsylvania law, people who have been abused or have a reasonable fear of abuse can file a protection from abuse order to gain protection and relief. However, victims may only file such orders against family members or sexual partners. This law should be expanded so that seniors who are abused by non-family caregivers have recourse in civil court as well as criminal court.

As Attorney General, Josh Shapiro will be a strong advocate for this legislation.

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