Sunday, the state's top law enforcement officer, appeared at a press conference in the state Capitol to say he backs Gebhard's work to pass legislation that would give banking and financial institutions more power to intervene if they suspect an elderly client is facing a scam. As the law stands now, bank employees cannot stop a transaction or withdrawal even if they believe the client is being scammed.
"The employees who work at banks know their customers," Sunday said. "They are part of our communities and, so often in our investigations, when we speak to a teller, they say they suspected that the victim was being scammed, but they were powerless to intervene."
Gebhard, a Republican whose 48th Senate District includes seven Lancaster County municipalities, introduced a bill last spring to update the state's Older Adult Protective Services Act for the first time in decades. He said lawmakers need to act now in response to quickly changing technology, particularly artificial intelligence that has the power to spoof phone calls, easily manipulating a person to believe a scam is real.
The bill is currently sitting in the Senate Banking and Insurance committee, of which Gebhard is chairman. Democrats and Republicans alike are supporting the legislation, including Lancaster County Sen. James Malone, a Democrat from East Petersburg.
"As we now start the June budget month, we have the opportunity to show Pennsylvanians we can deliver policies that solve big solutions and improve their lives despite a divided government," Gebhard said. "In short, as the governor loves to say, we can get stuff done."
Sunday urged lawmakers to ensure bankers also receive the necessary training to spot sophisticated and evolving scams. Open dialogue about online fraud should be encouraged to help everyone learn more, he said.
The amount of money people lose to scams continues to grow. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Pennsylvania ranked ninth in the country last year in total financial losses to scams by elderly people — with more than 7,000 Pennsylvania seniors experiencing fraud and losing more than $200 million collectively, a 43% increase in losses from 2024.
Sunday said Pennsylvanians of all ages last year reported more than $76 million in scam-related losses to his office's Bureau of Consumer Protection.
Gebhard's legislation is supported by the Pennsylvania Bankers Association. Clem Rosenberger, an association board member and CEO and president of NexTier Bank, said evolving technology will continue to power more financial fraud if lawmakers don't act soon.
"Every day, Pennsylvania's seniors face increasingly sophisticated scams that threaten their hard-earned savings, their homes and their dignity," Rosenberger said. "Victims suffer deep financial and emotional harm, and family caregivers and taxpayers often have to shoulder additional burdens to help them recover."
GETTING HELP
The Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection's toll-free helpline is 800-441-2555. For more resources, go to attorneygeneral.gov/protect-yourself/seniors/.
The FBI has resources at fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/scams-and-safety.
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