AARP Iowa Testifies at Senate Judiciary Hearing to Protect Older Americans from Fraud

Iowa Executive Council Member, Fraud Watch Network Volunteer Joe Marquart  Urges Senate Judiciary Action to Fight Fraud

The United States Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on June 29 in Washington D.C. to hear testimony on “Protecting Older Americans from Financial Exploitation.”  Chaired by Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the hearing included two panels of speakers.  The first panel consisted of John A. Horn, the United States Attorney in the Northern District of Georgia and Lois C. Greisman, head of the Division of Marketing Practices in the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. The second panel consisted of Donna K. Harvey, Director of the Iowa Department on Aging, Nancy Shaffer, Connecticut State Long Term Care Ombudsman and Joe Marquart, volunteer member of the AARP Iowa Executive Committee and AARP Fraud Watch Network volunteer.

“It was my honor to speak on behalf of Karla Sibert, an Iowa resident, whose parents were financially exploited by a telemarketing company,” Marquart said.

Ms Sibert’s compelling story told of her discovery that her parents had fallen victim to the unethical practices of a telemarketing company whose representative befriended her mother via an onslaught of telephone calls that resulted in more than $44,000 being charged to her various credit cards for health supplements.  Her mother was of the understanding that she had spent only $500.

Ms. Sibert attended one of AARP Iowa’s Fraud Watch presentations and came forward to share her story.  Through the collaborative efforts of AARP Iowa with various state entities — the office of the Iowa Attorney General, the Iowa Insurance Division, Partners in Aging and the Senior Health Insurance Program — over a period of two years, Ms. Sibert was able to get all of her money back and the telemarketing company, Leading Health Source, is no longer allowed to market supplements in Iowa.

The Judiciary Committee’s hearing addressed the rise in fraud and exploitation of seniors in Iowa, as well as the rest of the United States and the efforts of many State and Federal entities working to address this issue.  It also addressed concerns that many senior citizens have not authorized Power of Attorney to trustworthy family members or others who can step in and take proactive actions for their protection.  Fortunately for Ms. Sibert and her family, she was able to advocate for her parents because she had the designated Power of Attorney.

AARP Iowa has taken the lead in developing collaborative relationships with a wide range of state entities. These, particularly combined, are strong and effective resources to educate and assist Iowans in prevention and for those who are exploited, assisting in resolving issues, such as what happened with Ms. Sibert and her parents.

Some lessons learned from this recent Judiciary Committee hearing include:
1) it is important that our senior and elder citizens are made aware that they are targets for fraud and exploitation
2) family members also need to be aware so they can be alert to situations which may place their senior family members at risk
3) a Power of Attorney should be established after due diligence in deciding who that person may be
4) if someone is the victim of fraud or exploitation they should not be embarrassed but should immediately inform family and state resources of the fact so that efforts can be started to resolve the issue.

See Radio Iowa coverage of Marquart's remarks here.