Senator Rosen Shared Story Of Veteran From Las Vegas Who Was Targeted By Numerous Scams Over The Phone
In 2022, Nevada Had The Third-Highest Rate Of Reported Fraud And The Fifth-Highest Rate Of Identity Theft Nationwide.
View/Download Video of Senator Rosen’s Questions HERE
WASHINGTON DC – Today, during a Senate Commerce Subcommittee hearing focused on robocalls, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) highlighted the issue of telephone scams impacting Nevadans as she questioned Margot Saunders, a Senior Attorney at the National Consumer Law Center. During her remarks, Senator Rosen shared the story of a veteran from Las Vegas who was targeted by a number of scammers over the phone. Earlier this year, she joined the bipartisan Governing Unaccredited Representatives Defrauding (GUARD) VA Benefits Act to protect veterans and their benefits from predatory practices.
Below is an excerpt of the exchange:
ROSEN: According to the FTC, in 2022 alone, Nevada had the third-highest rate of fraud and the fifth-highest rate of identity theft.
Every year, millions of Americans, including many of my constituents, fall victim to these predatory robocallers. These scammers, they create elaborate schemes through robocalls. They say they are calling from government agencies or other entities attempting to convince people to provide personal, identifiable information.
For example, Nathan, one of my constituents in Las Vegas, he’s a veteran of
the U.S. Air Force. He wrote into my office, sharing a story about a spam call he received from the “Veterans Benefit Center.” They asked him to refinance his mortgage. He said at one point, he was receiving 10 to 15 calls a day [some] from this “Veterans Benefit Center.”
While thankfully, Nathan recognized the scam, many others don’t. Veterans like him, who served our country, should not be targeted with these kinds of calls. It’s unacceptable. We have to do more to protect all of our constituents and combat these criminal schemes.
Ms. Saunders, what advice would you give Nevadans, particularly in more vulnerable communities like seniors and veterans, who are targeted by scammers and are impacted at disproportionate rates?
SAUNDERS: Thank you for the question. We have one clear piece of advice to give all American subscribers until this problem has been solved. If you receive a call from anybody — unless you are absolutely positive that you know the person that has called you — do not give access to your bank account or any other money to that caller.
If you receive a call from somebody purporting to be from the Veterans Administration, and you want to make sure that your benefits are protected — then hang up, look up the number for the Veterans Administration, or whoever it is that supposedly called you, and call them directly.
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