Chamber Joins Representatives from Government Agencies, Private Sector to Collaborate on How to Protect Seniors

The Chamber of Digital Commerce has joined 13 federal and state government agencies, along with representatives from industry and consumer advocates, a newly formed Scams Against Older Adults Advisory Group, led by the Federal Trade Commission.

The advisory group, which was created as part of the Stop Senior Scams Act passed in March of this year, will tackle four topics: 1) expanding consumer education efforts; 2) improving industry training on scam prevention; 3) identifying innovative or high-tech methods to detect and stop scams; and 4) developing research on consumer or employee engagement to reduce fraud. The advisory group also will help identify and invite key stakeholders to contribute to the committees’ work.

“We commend the FTC for leading the charge in working to protect older adults from fraud and scams and we look forward to participating in this very important discussion,” said Perianne Boring, Founder and CEO of the Chamber of Digital Commerce. “Everyone needs to be vigilant when it comes to scams, but we need to be more than vigilant when it comes to protecting older adults because they are at greater risk.”

“Analogous to other industries, the digital asset space is not immune from scams and bad actors,” continued Boring. “We believe education is a critical component to stemming scams and the Chamber of Digital Commerce’s commitment to education uniquely positions us to serve on this important and timely advisory group. We look forward to providing the technical expertise and innovative solutions created by our members to this effort.” 

The Chamber is the sole organization representing the digital asset industry and has worked tirelessly to identify scams and strengthen consumer protections. Agencies and organizations participating in the meeting in addition to the FTC and Chamber of Digital Commerce include:

·  AARP

·  AmeriCorps

·  Commodity Futures Trading Commission

·  Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

·  Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

·  Federal Reserve Board

·  Financial Crimes Enforcement Network

·  Financial Industry Regulatory Authority

·  Innovative Payments Association

·  National Retail Federation

·  Office of the Attorney General for the State of Vermont

·  Retail Gift Card Association

·  Securities and Exchange Commission

·  The Money Services Round Table

·  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

·  U.S. Department of Justice

·  U.S. Department of Treasury

·  U.S. Postal Inspection Service

·  USTelecom

The first meeting will take place on September 29 at 2:30 p.m. ET and will be livestreamed at ftc.gov.

Members of the Chamber of Digital Commerce are invited to participate in the advisory group. If interested, please contact our Member Services team.