July 24, 2006

DA Rice Issues Senior Scam Warning

Rice, Israel hold forum to educate seniors on scams

MINEOLA, NY - Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice and Congressman Steve Israel held an educational forum today aimed at educating seniors about scams that target the elderly and most vulnerable in our communities. The forum was held at the Old Bethpage Library in Plainview and was attended by more than 60 seniors.

The District Attorney and the Congressman were joined by Assistant District Attorney Michael Clarke and Nassau County Commissioner of Senior Citizen Affairs Dr. Sharon Mullon.

“Rather than wait for a crime to occur, my office is taking pro-active, preventative measures with a goal of decreasing the possibility of one of our most vulnerable residents falling victim to a scam,” said Rice. “I look forward to partnering with leaders in the field like Congressman Israel as we look for innovative ways to protect Nassau County seniors.”

Accoring to the National Center on Elder Abuse, as many as 5 million seniors may be victims of scams in a single year.

In February, Rice created the Special Victims Bureau in her office. The Bureau is charged with investigating and prosecuting instances of elder abuse, neglect and mistreatment.

In May, Rice launched an unprecedented training program for Nassau County nursing facilities designed to help nursing home workers identify and report the signs of either patient abuse or exploitation. The program has trained more than a thousand skilled nursing facility staff in Nassau County since its inception.