Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand unveiled new legislation in Cheektowaga Friday to protect seniors from financial scams. It's estimated that tens of thousands of seniors across New York are victimized every year. But the crimes often go unreported. Gillibrand says her bill would provide law enforcement with the resources they need to get the message out and increase reporting.
"If we knew all the instances of senior fraud this would be a national outcry. And because it's just not reported often, because of the dynamics of it, law enforcement doesn't have the data points to ask for the resources. And then Congress isn't supporting enough resources because we don't know the extent of the problem," Gillibrand said.
The "Senior Financial Empowerment Act would standardize and improve the way elder financial abuse is reported and establish a national hotline for advising seniors on how to report fraud.