DOJ Expands Fraud Strike Force to Address Rising Schemes Against Seniors
The Justice Department (DOJ) has announced that it would be accelerating its efforts to fight criminals who target older Americans for financial fraud. The new push will add 14 U.S. Attorney's Offices to the DOJ's Transnational Elder Fraud Strike Force (Strike Force), bringing the total to 20.
“We are intensifying our efforts nationwide to protect older adults, including by more than tripling the number of U.S. Attorneys’ offices participating in our Transnational Elder Fraud Strike Force dedicated to disrupting, dismantling and prosecuting foreign-based fraud schemes that target American seniors,” noted Attorney General Merrick Garland. “This expansion builds on the Justice Department’s existing work to hold accountable those who steal funds from older adults, including by returning those funds to the victims where possible.”
Several transnational organized crime syndicates have been held accountable for targeting older Americans in the past year. According to DOJ, fraudsters often used impersonation to convince victims to send money to transnational criminal organizations.
For example, Justice's Consumer Protection Branch and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California secured the guilty plea of the Chief Executive Officer of a global telecommunications provider this past September who allegedly acted as a gateway carrier for foreign fraudulent robocalls targeting elderly people.
Likewise, an individual pleaded guilty in the Central District of California to participating in an international scheme that targeted seniors by purporting to be government officials, and threatening exposure of their identities and assets.
The Strike Force is comprised of attorneys and analysts from Justice’s Consumer Protection Branch, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Special agents from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), U.S. Secret Service (USSS), Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General (SSA-OIG), and Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) round out Strike Force investigations.
“At the FBI, we swear an oath to protect the American people, and this includes our most vulnerable populations like the elderly. Efforts like these display our unwavering dedication to protecting our older citizens and combating fraudsters who look to exploit them,” stated FBI Director Christopher Wray.