Senator pushes for stronger safeguards

On Monday Dec. 8, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, ranking member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, was joined by New York State Assemblymember Rebecca Seawright and senior advocates to send a warning to senior citizens across New York State about the uptick in scams targeting older adults during the holiday season.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), seniors in the state lost over $250 million to scams last year. Gillibrand’s bipartisan National Strategy for Combating Scams Act would Senator pushes for stronger safeguards to combat scams.

“In 2025, Americans had over $16 billion stolen from them in scam attacks. Hardworking New Yorkers across the state are losing a staggering amount of money,” Gillibrand said. “Since state lines don’t stop scammers, it’s clear that we need a coordinated national strategy to tackle the increasingly sophisticated scams targeting our seniors. We need to protect Americans from losing their paychecks, savings, or holiday gifts. This legislation brings that strategy to fruition.”

More than four in 10 Americans say they have lost money to scams or had their sensitive information obtained fraudulently. Criminals increasingly utilize advanced tools like generative AI and voice deepfakes to deceive victims, disproportionately targeting older adults. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) identified at least 13 agencies involved in anti-scam efforts, each working independently under different mandates and authorities. GAO has recommended that the FBI take the lead in creating a National Strategy for Combating Scams to enhance federal coordination and effectiveness in fighting these crimes. This legislation would give the FBI a legal obligation to follow through on this recommendation.