Senator Hassan Secures Commitments from FBI & Department of Justice on Combatting Scams During Committee Hearing

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Joint Economic Committee, led a bipartisan Congressionalhearingyesterday on ways to strengthen efforts to combat scams. The hearing included testimony from top leaders at the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI, as well as representatives from AARP, Aspen Institute, and other entities. The hearing is part of Senator Hassan’s ongoing comprehensive push to combat scams.
Throughout the hearing, Senator Hassan pressed federal officials on the fragmented approach to scams – which also leads to confusion among the general public about where to report scams. She secured several commitments from the federal agency leaders to help improve coordination with state and local law enforcement, and to make it easier for people to report scams and get help.
“One of the great frustrations I hear on the ground is there are any number of places to report [scams],” said Senator Hassan at the hearing. “I’m working with Senator Rick Scott on a bipartisan bill that…would create a central secure website for Americans to report scams and get assistance, as well as a comprehensive federal strategy to prevent scams...and hold scammers accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
Senator Hassan secured commitments from Gregory Heeb, Deputy Assistant Director of the Criminal Division at the FBI and Lois Greisman, the Associate Director of the Division of Marketing Practices at the Federal Trade Commission, to work with her office to simplify the scam reporting process for all Americans.“Senator, yes, absolutely. It is confusing,” responded Mr. Heeb. Ms. Greisman added, “Yes, of course, we commit to making it easier for consumers to report.”
Senator Hassan also highlighted the recent experience of a constituent from Derry and the difficulty that he has encountered in getting help. After his mother was scammed out of $80,000 by fraudsters who impersonated the FBI over the phone, he compiled case details and evidence for law enforcement, including the FBI, and his mother’s bank.
“But he’s still struggling to get help. He’s also unsure whether federal authorities have taken any action,” Senator Hassan said. Later in the hearing,Senator Hassan secured a commitment from the FBI to help this constituent, asking,“Can you commit to working with my office and reaching out to this constituent this week?” Mr. Heeb responded, “Yes, we can, Senator...I’ll take care of that.”
In addition, Senator Hassan raised concerns about the lack of coordination between state and local law enforcement and federal efforts, including the Scam Center Strike Force, a multi-agency task force investigating scam activity in Southeast Asia. “State and local law enforcement…are often the first point of contact when victims report a scam. Yet, New Hampshire law enforcement officers we reached out to recently weren’t even aware that the [Scam Center] Strike Force exists,” said Senator Hassan.“As important as the work you’re doing to go after the overall criminal organizations, we have to have coordination on the state and local level too.”Karen Seifert, Director of the Scam Center Strike Force at the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the District of Columbia, agreed that “absolutely” she will engage further with Senator Hassan’s office on this, while acknowledging that “we haven’t had that pathway so far.”
During the hearing’s second panel of witnesses, Senator Hassan talked with experts from AARP, the Aspen Institute, and the Government Accountability Office about her push to strengthen federal scams coordination and develop a centralized portal for Americans to report scams – and how that might help address the challenges that they have seen Americans face. Senator Hassan also discussed with the experts the importance of facilitating real-time information sharing between the private and public sectors as an important tool when combatting scams.
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