FTC brings together advisory group to combat scams against older adults

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Keeping older adults safe from fraud and scams is a top priority for the FTC. That commitment is reflected in the agency’s long history of law enforcement actions against scammers and our robust outreach and education programs. Now, as part of the Stop Senior Scams Act, the FTC is bringing together an Advisory Group of federal agency partners, consumer advocates, and industry representatives to focus on ways we can better identify and stop scams that affect older adults.

The FTC’s most recent report on protecting older consumers tells us that adults aged 60 and over are substantially less likely to report losing money to fraud than younger people. But when they do report losing money to frauds — like online shopping scams, tech support scams, or romance scams — they are losing thousands of dollars. (For more on this data, visit ftc.gov/exploredata.)

That’s why the work of the Advisory Group is so important. Through the formation of smaller committees, the Advisory Group will focus on four main areas: 1) expanding consumer education efforts; 2) improving industry training on scam prevention; 3) identifying innovative or high-tech methods to detect and stop scams; and 4) developing research on consumer or employee engagement to reduce fraud. Together, members of the Advisory Group will identify gaps and highlight best practices for fighting frauds and scams affecting older adults. And, they’ll seek out key stakeholders to contribute to the work of each committee.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Advisory Group’s work, mark your calendar for September 29th at 2:30 pm ET. The first meeting will be livestreamed from ftc.gov.

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