At the Texas Capitol and Beyond, Crushing Fraud is a Top Mission for AARP

From romance grifters scamming older people out of life savings to shady door-to-door salespeople and hackers prying into online accounts, Americans are increasingly being targeted for fraud.

Texas is often Ground Zero for scammers due to its large and diverse population, reputation for economic opportunity, and high number of older adults who may be more vulnerable. These factors make the Lone Star State fertile ground for all sorts of schemes, including online shopping scams, business impersonation, and investment fraud.

New AARP research shows that while many people take steps to protect themselves, over a third of adults (approximately 95.4 million) make themselves vulnerable to theft by responding to calls, texts or friend requests from people they don’t know. In fact, more than four in 10 Americans say they have lost money to scams or had sensitive information obtained and used fraudulently.

AARP is committed to combatting fraud on many levels. Besides education and supporting victims and their families, AARP is leading an effort to change the narrative on fraud victims.

“For too long, victims have been blamed for these crimes, rather than the criminals who commit them,” said AARP Texas Director Tina Tran. “This has served to deprioritize fraud as a crime, which has played a role in fraud’s exponential growth. Shifting the focus to the criminals behind these crimes can lead to more reporting to law enforcement and more victims seeking the support they need.”

Tran said AARP Texas staff and volunteers in recent years have shown up at professional sports games, local fairs and festivals, town hall meetings. community centers, and neighborhood events to get word out about how to fight fraud, including presenting resources like the ones offered through the AARP Fraud Watch Network.

This spring, the AARP Texas state-federal advocacy team put prevention and fighting elder exploitation and fraud high on its agenda in its work with lawmakers. The biennial Texas legislative session continues until June, but already, legislative progress is being made on a host of measures, including measures to contend with:

• Cryptocurrency Kiosks: Senate Bill 1705 would reduce fraud occurring through cryptocurrency kiosks and allow law enforcement to recovery victims’ money.
  
• Residential Solar: Senate Bill 1036 combats fraud and confusion tied to residential solar sales, equipment and services.
  
• Fraudulent Deeds: Several bills seek to void fraudulent deeds and prosecute deed impersonation, including House Bill 4531/Senate Bill 1734, House Bill 4558/Senate Bill 647, and House Bill 4558/Senate Bill 648.
  
• Identity Theft: Several measures are advancing to enhance protections for victims of coerced debt and identity theft. – House Bill 4238.
  
• Gift Card Fraud: Propoosed bills to stamp out gift card fraud include House Bill 3014, Senate Bill 1809, and House Bill 3168.
  
• Elder Abuse: AARP Texas supports putting more law enforcement resources into combatting elder abuse and financial crimes by, among other things, expanding the scope and resources of the state’s Financial Crimes Intelligence Center. Measures include Senate Bill 1499, House Bill 1/Senate Bill 1 (Texas State Budget)

Meanwhile, AARP Texas is working to stop bad bills, like House Bill 3466 and Senate Bill 1007, that would loosen important existing consumer protections. The bills would drastically expand the numbers and types of businesses exempt from the state’s three-day right-to-cancel rules that allows consumers to exit contracts that they regret or are improperly lured into.

“Criminals are continuously evolving to target consumers, and that’s why AARP is working fast on a host of fronts to shore up protections,” said Andrea Earl, an associate state director of advocacy and outreach at AARP Texas who is working closely with legislators, including Sen. Tan Parker to stop certain financial scams.

Earl and her AARP Texas teammates in Austin, including other associate state directors Stephanie Mace and Charles Cascio, along with State-Federal Strategy Director Kathy Green, are partnering with other staff and volunteers in pounding the hallways of the Capitol.

Almost daily, these AARP Texas advocates, partnered with strike teams of volunteers spirited to the Capitol through the work of Advocacy Volunteer Coordinator Ashley Ford, are testifying before legislative panels to support fraud-fighting bills.

“With far too many Texans fending off scammers, it’s imperative that we suit up, show up, and fight hard on behalf of the millions of Texas consumers,” said Green. “Older Texans and their families tell us they want better protections in law, reliable information, trusted resources, and public and private agencies that will serve their interests and needs.”

Mark Hollis can be reached at mhollis@aarp.org or 512-574-3739.