Shaheen Hosts Webinar to Inform Seniors of COVID-related Fraud & Scams

Shaheen holds up a fraudulent letter she received in the mail during the webinar. The webinar can be viewed on YouTube here. 

Shaheen listening to participants during the webinar

Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) hosted a senior consumer protection webinar to inform Granite State seniors on COVID-related fraud and scams. As a result of the public health emergency, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has reported a skyrocketing number of fraud complaints. Many of these scams specifically target older Americans, who may be unfamiliar with the evolving tactics used by criminals and are now more isolated from others as a result of social distancing. During the webinar, Shaheen and representatives from the NH AARP, NH Attorney General’s office, Federal Trade Commission, U.S. Postal Inspector Services and the Internal Revenue Service alerted seniors to common COVID-related scams that have appeared and informed them on how they can protect themselves from falling victim.

“Since the beginning of this crisis, vulnerable American seniors have been the target of nefarious scams and have already lost millions. We need to ensure they are afforded every possible protection from these heinous criminals,” said Shaheen. “I’m grateful to the participants who joined me this afternoon to help educate older Granite Staters on these evolving schemes and how to avoid falling victim. I’ll continue to work across the aisle to protect Americans from being taken advantage of amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.”

In March, Shaheen and a bipartisan group of Senators called on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to protect seniors from coronavirus-related scams. Last month, Shaheen also called on Attorney General William Barr to establish a New England COVID-19 Task Force to coordinate federal and state agencies, prosecutors and law enforcement to address scams, price gouging and other deceptive practices associated with COVID-19.