By Eric San Juan
Now that he is part of the New Jersey State Senate, former Mayor Carmen Amato and the rest of the 9th District legislation team – Assemblyman Brian Rumpf and Assemblyman Gregory Myhre – are taking aim at protecting seniors from financial scams, exploitation, and burglary in two new bills advancing through the state legislature.
The issue is not a minor one. According to the National Elder Fraud Hotline, run by the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), “Fraud and romance scams aimed at older adults resulted in losses of more than $184 million in 2018. Many crimes go unreported because victims are scared, embarrassed, or don’t know who to call.”
The bill aimed at more harshly punishing those who financially exploit elderly victims, S-1887, was passed unanimously by the State Senate. It was introduced by Amato. Rumpf and Myhre introduced the Assembly version, A-4593, which as of this writing is before the Aging and Human Services Committee.
Under the bill, anyone 60 years old or older who is infirm or suffering from a disease is protected. The bill targets those in a position of trust over the victim. Penalties for financial exploitation include fines of up to $150,000, a term of imprisonment of five to 10 years, or both, for thefts in excess of $75,000.
“Individuals who commit elder fraud and prey upon the society’s most vulnerable persons must be held accountable under the law,” the team said in a written statement. “Establishing this new offense under State law would empower law enforcement and the courts to bring to justice those found guilty of scamming vulnerable elderly persons out of their money or possessions.”
It’s an issue that has been on the rise in the digital age, with scams being much easier to perpetrate against those who aren’t tech-savvy. The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) reports that elder fraud complaints increased by 14 percent in 2023.
“And elder fraud is probably a more insidious threat than the report shows,” the FBI noted in a report from April 2024. “Many of these crimes likely go unreported, and, as the report states, ‘only about half’ of the fraud scam complaints submitted to IC3 in 2023 included victims’ ages.”
The AARP agrees. In a 2019 report, the organization said that crimes against the elderly sometimes go unreported because the victims are fearful of the consequences.
“People are so afraid if they call out a family member or caregiver they will lose their independence,” Julie Schoen, deputy director of the National Center on Elder Abuse, told AARP. “If you lose something and your caregiver can’t stay there, you can lose your home.”
If you or someone you know has been a victim of elder fraud, help is standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 833–FRAUD–11 or 833–372–8311.
The 9th District team also supported a measure to enact harsher penalties for burglarizing homes occupied by senior citizens. The bipartisan bill was sponsored by Senator Anthony M. Bucco and signed into law by Governor Phil Murphy. Amato was also a sponsor of the bill.
“New Jersey is sending a strong and clear message that individuals who burglarize homes or engage in other associated criminal activities will face severe consequences,” Sen. Bucco said in a written release. “Now, law enforcement and prosecutors will have the necessary tools to combat the troubling wave of residential home burglaries spreading across the Garden State and ensure safety within our communities. After today, there should be no mistake that if you commit these crimes, you will do time.”
Amato agreed. “I’m glad to see that the Governor worked with Republicans to prioritize the safety of our most vulnerable residents,” he said in a written statement. “We represent a significant senior population in South Jersey that will benefit greatly from this law deterring criminals from breaking into and burglarizing our homes.”