A coalition of retired police brass is urging New York lawmakers to guard seniors from cybercrime.
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Nov. 16–22 is Worldwide Fraud Consciousness Week, and a coalition of former New York police brass is urging state lawmakers to guard shoppers from what they describe as a fast-growing risk of scams.
In a letter to the New York Legislature, the group — together with former NYPD Chiefs of Division Theresa Shortell, James Essig, Ken Corey and Terence Monahan; former NYPD Assistant Chiefs Bruce Smolka and Michael Esposito; Rodney Harrison, former NYPD chief of division and Suffolk County police commissioner; Joe Gramaglia, former Buffalo police commissioner; and Keith Corlett, a former New York State Police superintendent — highlights what they name a monetary fraud disaster within the state.
The AARP studies that in 2023, greater than 4,300 New Yorkers age 60 and older misplaced $203,437,635 — about $557,000 a day and $23,200 an hour — to monetary exploitation. In response to an FBI report, it’s the fourth-highest complete of any state.
The present and former police officers say they commend the Legislature for what they describe as “tremendous progress in fighting this epidemic,” however argue that a number of different priorities want consideration, together with cracking down on deepfake and synthetic intelligence voice scams and passing invoice S7382/A8051.
Scammers have gotten extra subtle within the period of AI, utilizing deepfake voice cloning and digital impersonation to imitate the voices and pictures of individuals victims know. Since 2020, greater than 4.2 million fraud studies have been filed nationwide, leading to greater than $50.5 billion in losses, with a rising share tied to deepfake scams.
“A growing number of scammers are now using artificial intelligence to clone voices and impersonate family members, first responders, and even local officials,” the letter states, including that such scams have already robbed New York seniors and households of tens of 1000’s of {dollars}.
“We recommend that the state strengthen penalties for digital impersonation, invest in public awareness campaigns that ensure all New Yorkers are aware of and vigilant to this problem, and engage in constant communication with law enforcement officials to ensure that they have the resources they need to trace and prosecute AI-enabled financial crime,” the letter continues.
S7382/A8051, sponsored by state Sen. Siela Bynoe (Nassau County) and Meeting Member Steve Stern (Suffolk County), would enhance penalties for theft and fraud towards New Yorkers age 60 and older, making such offenses a Class B felony punishable by 5 to 25 years in jail. The invoice has handed the Senate Codes Committee, and the signees say they consider it may well move each chambers with a full vote in January.
“Given the sharp rise in financial crimes targeting seniors, this bill is sorely needed as a deterrence measure,” the regulation enforcement members wrote.
Former Chief of Division Terence Monahan speaks on the scene of a 2020 police-involved capturing in Brookyn.File photograph by Lloyd Mitchell
The coalition additionally mentioned lawmakers “wisely chose” to not advance proposals equivalent to S276, which might have imposed resale value caps on occasion tickets — a transfer critics warned would drive fraudulent gross sales.
“For instance, when Ireland imposed a cap on ticket resale prices in 2021, it pushed buyers toward unsafe markets, with Irish police as well as major banks and payment platforms publicly warning consumers about a surge in fake ticket listings tied to concerts and major events,” the coalition famous. “A similar pattern emerged in Australia, where the government reported more than $135,000 in ticket-related scams on social media in advance of Melbourne and Sydney Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour shows. Bringing this idea to New York would recreate the same problem, fueling in-person scalping and counterfeit ticket sales, the very kind of fraud many of us on the force remember battling in the pre-internet era.”
Monahan mentioned he’s pleased with the NYPD’s and Legislature’s work to fight cyber fraud and expressed confidence that lawmakers would proceed to make the problem a precedence.
Esposito mentioned Worldwide Fraud Consciousness Week serves as a reminder that criminals are evolving quicker than ever.
“Law enforcement needs every tool available to keep New Yorkers safe. The Legislature has already taken meaningful steps, but AI-driven scams, digital impersonation, ticketing scams, and fraud targeting our seniors are growing at an alarming rate,” Esposito mentioned. “That’s why I signed this letter — to encourage lawmakers to stay aggressive, stay innovative, and continue giving police and prosecutors the backing they need. New Yorkers deserve nothing less.”
In the meantime, the New York Metropolis Division of Shopper and Employee Safety urges shoppers to remain up to date on the most recent scams. For data on detecting and reporting scams, go to the company’s web site.
