Skip to main content Skip to office menu Skip to footer
Capital IconMinnesota Legislature

Legislative News and Views - Rep. Joe Atkins (DFL)

Back to profile

Bill to Prevent Senior Scams Sent for Governor’s Signature

Monday, May 6, 2013

St. Paul, Minnesota — Minnesota senior citizens are the top target nationally for wire transfer scams, according to state law enforcement officials.  These scams have defrauded over 100,000 Minnesota seniors to the tune of over $4 million in the last year alone. State Rep. Joe Atkins is seeking to change that, and today legislation is being sent to Governor Dayton for his signature that would help prevent wire scams that target Minnesota seniors.

“These scams continue to grow dramatically and we need to do all we can to combat them,” said Rep. Atkins. “Minnesotans are good and trusting people, meaning we get targeted by these scams more than anyone else in the country. This legislation is a tool of protection and will make a huge difference in preventing these types of scams.”

HF 194/SF 247 will help further protect seniors from wire transfer fraud by requiring wire transfer companies to confirm that the location provided by the sender is the location where the money ends up. The bill also contains provisions to provide more authority to the Department of Commerce to protect consumers by increasing penalties and regulatory actions against this type of organized fraud, require wire transfer companies to provide a confirmation of the money sent and who picked up the transaction, and allow a sender to be put on a "Do Not Send" list to prevent repeated transfers.

AARP made passage of senior scam prevention legislation its top policy priority this session.