VIDEO: Senior Day at the FL Capitol
Release Date
Jan 29, 2020
Contact
Kylie Mason
Phone
850-245-0150
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody today is highlighting the successes of the Attorney General Senior Protection Team in recognition of Senior Day at the Florida Capitol. Attorney General Moody announced the new intra-agency team last March in an effort to crack down on fraud directed at seniors, and already the group is responsible for more than $230,000 in recoveries for Florida seniors. These recoveries are in addition to the more than $153 million obtained through settlements and court-ordered relief by the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division last year for consumers of all ages.
Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “I am proud of the work my team is doing to protect Florida seniors from fraud and the successes they have already achieved for older Floridians. In less than a year, this team of highly-skilled attorneys and investigators has recovered thousands of dollars fighting fraud and is relentlessly pursuing criminals preying on Florida’s seniors and retirees.”
The Florida Attorney General’s Senior Protection Team is an intra-agency group of experts working together to fight fraud. The Team is comprised of leading members from the Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution, Consumer Protection Division and Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. The Attorney General’s Seniors v. Crime Project and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement also actively assist the team with investigations and outreach efforts.
To learn more about the Senior Protection Team, click here.
Florida Senior Day is an annual celebration that attracts more than 1,500 seniors and advocates from across the state to the Florida Capitol to honor the many contributions of seniors. More than five million seniors live in Florida.
For more information about Florida Senior Day, click here.
As part of today’s celebration, Attorney General Moody invited Seniors v. Crime representatives to the Capitol Courtyard to join the Senior Protection Team staff in answering questions regarding common scams targeting older Floridians. The Attorney General’s Seniors v. Crime assists in identifying fraud and helping seniors recover money lost to scams. In 2019, Seniors v. Crime worked more than 1,900 cases of reported fraud, resulting in more than $1,700,000 in recoveries and savings for Florida seniors.
To learn more about Seniors v. Crime, click here.
Last year, Attorney General Moody held a Senior Scam Stopper Workshop in The Villages for seniors to learn about fighting fraud and identifying scams. After the workshop, Attorney General Moody honored several outstanding Seniors v. Crime volunteers for working to protect Floridians.
For more on last year’s award winners, click here.
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The primary focus of the Florida Attorney General’s Senior Protection Team is pursuing senior fraud within the OAG’s civil and criminal enforcement jurisdiction. For elder exploitation and abuse issues, typically within the jurisdiction and expertise of local law enforcement or other state agencies, like the Florida Department of Children and Families, the Florida Department of Elder Affairs, or the Department of Financial Services, those agencies should be contacted directly. To learn more about the Senior Protection Team, click here.