A series of bills are moving through the State Legislature that would protect seniors from abuse, fraud and financial exploitation.
Assemblyman Harry Bronson of Rochester says one of the measures would require professionals using a title to verify that designation. "Say you're looking for a contractor to do electrical work in your house, and they're advertising that they're a certified electrician. What this bill would require is where did they receive that certification, so that if the senior chooses, they can check to make sure that they actually are a certified electrician."
Another measure would require the Department of Financial Services to develop guidelines for reporting suspected financial exploitation of the elderly. Bronson says that program would work like those that monitor people's credit reports for unusual activity. Seniors would be able to opt in to the program, giving permission to their banks to monitor their accounts and report any suspicious activity to law enforcement.
