Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) spearheaded a recent letter to several White House officials urging a coordinated strategy to counter transnational online scammers targeting older Americans.
Writing to State Secretary Marco Rubio, Secret Service Director Sean Curran, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Sen. Kelly described the impact of online scams targeting America's elders and how they operate.
As the letter suggested, many of these scammers are coerced and operate out of "scam labor camps," located primarily in Southeast Asia, and over 120,000 people have been trafficked into becoming members.
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Scams range from fake tech support to fake online dating site members, cryptocurrency investment fraud, and false government phone calls.
"We are alarmed by increasing reports of scam labor camps operating in foreign countries, where individuals are trafficked or coerced into running fraud operations that primarily target seniors and other vulnerable populations in the United States," Sen. Kelly said in the letter, adding, "These organized criminal enterprises not only defraud Americans but also involve serious human rights violations. Addressing this issue requires enhanced diplomatic engagement, intelligence sharing, and cooperation with international law enforcement partners to identify, investigate, and dismantle these operations."
Notably, America's seniors lost approximately $3.4 billion due to scams in 2023 alone, marking an 80% increase over the previous two years.
As a result, the Arizona Senator asked that investigations into these "scam labor camps" be ramped up in collaboration with international law enforcement, not only shutting down the "camps" but also exposing the widespread human trafficking they operate on.
Moreover, Kelly urged public awareness campaigns to help seniors identify and avoid fraudulent schemes, as well as greater cooperation among the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and other entities to crack down on scammers.
"Protecting seniors from fraud is not just a financial issue—it is a matter of public trust and security," Kelly concluded, adding, "We appreciate the work your agencies have already done to combat financial crimes, we look forward to working with you to ensure that the Federal government is doing everything possible to safeguard older Americans from these devastating scams."
