The Justice Department (DOJ) announced today that it would be accelerating its efforts to fight criminals who target older Americans for financial fraud. The new push will include adding 14 U.S. Attorney’s Offices to the DOJ’s Transnational Elder Fraud Strike Force — more than tripling the current number of offices, from six to 20.
Other existing Strike Force members include the Department’s Consumer Protection Branch, the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Homeland Security Investigations, which collaborate to fight elder fraud schemes. All of the DOJ’s U.S. Attorneys Offices across the country are focused on the effort, said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, “but these are taking an extra step, dedicating additional resources.”
The financial exploitation of older adults has ballooned since COVID-19 began its rapid spread in March 2020. A new report from AARP found that the rate of such exploitation between then and now has more than doubled. Tech scams are particularly rampant; cybercrime reported to the FBI cost Americans 50 and older nearly $3 billion last year, a 62 percent increase from 2020, according to data from the bureau.
“This kind of behavior is just despicable,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in an interview with AARP…
