LOS ANGELES : Council to Back Bill to Protect Seniors From Scams
The Los Angeles City Council has voted to support state legislation drafted to better protect the elderly from scam artists.
Assembly Bill 942 would allow bank executives to intervene if an elderly customer makes a suspicious and unusually large withdrawal. If it becomes law, banks could withhold funds for 90 days until police can investigate.
The Los Angeles Police Department’s bunco-forgery unit receives about 35 reports a day of scams targeting the elderly, Detective Chayo Reyes said.
Now, bank officials may step in if it seems an elderly customer is being conned into taking money out. But the law also makes banks liable for blocking a transaction. The bill would protect them from being sued in such cases.
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