Amato Bill Would Increase Punishment For Fraud Targeting Seniors, Veterans

TRENTON, NJ — A proposed bill from the 9th Legislative District that would crack down on identity thieves who target seniors and veterans is moving forward in the Senate.

The legislation, introduced by Sen. Carmen Amato, Asm. Brian Rumpf and Asm. Greg Myhre, was unanimously approved by the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee.

It would increase penalties for identity theft when the victim is a senior citizen or veteran.

"Many of our constituents are seniors and veterans that are increasingly alarmed about being specifically targeted for identity theft by fraudsters," the delegation said. "Statistics show they are justified in being alarmed as seniors and veterans can be common targets for fraudsters for such reasons as social isolation or a steady income consisting of veterans’ benefits, disability payments or other government programs."

In 2023, more than 2,000 seniors in New Jersey reported scams to the FBI, and the state had $251.7 million in fraud losses reported to the Federal Trade Commission, according to the delegation. Nationally, seniors lost over $3.4 billion to scams in 2023.

Essentially, our legislation would strengthen existing State law by increasing penalties by one degree when the victim is a senior or veteran," the delegation said. "For example, current law provides that if an actor obtains a benefit or deprives another of a benefit in an amount of at least $500, but less than $75,000 or the offense involves the identity of at least two but less than five victims, the actor is guilty of a crime of the third degree. Under our legislation, if any of the victims is a senior citizen or a veteran, the offense constitutes a crime of the second degree."

The bill has bipartisan support with Senator Paul Sarlo (D-36) as Second Prime Sponsor as well as Senator Shirley Turner (D-15) and Senator Angela McKnight (D-31) as co-sponsors.

Presently, S-1888 is awaiting further consideration by the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, which Amato serves on, while the companion measure (Rumpf/Myhre) is awaiting consideration by the Assembly Public Safety and Preparedness Committee.