Sen. Rick Scott and a bipartisan group of lawmakers are urging top federal agencies to ramp up efforts to combat international scams that target older Americans, calling the growing threat a matter of "public trust and security."
In a letter sent last week to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and U.S. Secret Service Director Sean Curran, members of the Senate Special Committee on Aging demanded coordinated investigations to dismantle foreign fraud networks exploiting seniors, citing $3.4 billion losses and trafficked labor in Southeast Asia in 2023.
"These scams often involve international perpetrators and require a coordinated federal response to effectively prevent further harm," the senators wrote in a statement. "Protecting seniors from fraud is not just a financial issue — it is a matter of public trust and security."
READ MORE: On a Lawless Tropical Border, the Global Scam Industry Thrives
According to FBI data cited in the letter, elder fraud complaints increased by 14% in 2023, with reported losses topping $3.4 billion. Many of these scams originate overseas and are linked to transnational criminal organizations using trafficked labor to conduct cyber fraud.
Scott, who chairs the Senate Special Committee on Aging, joined Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Arizona, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York and fellow Republican Florida Sen. Ashley Moody in signing the letter. The push follows the release of the committee's annual fraud report and its leadership in establishing March 6 as "National Slam the Scam Day."
The senators praised recent sanctions by the Treasury Department against Burma's Karen National Army, a group accused of running cyber scams and trafficking victims to work in so-called "scam labor camps." But they warned that more must be done.
"We are alarmed by increasing reports of scam labor camps operating in foreign countries," the letter states, referencing a 2023 UN estimate that over 120,000 people have been trafficked in Southeast Asia to run such scams.
The senators called for increased interagency coordination, stronger partnerships with international law enforcement, and expanded public awareness campaigns to help prevent further exploitation.
Copyright 2025 WLRN Public Media
