U.S. Senator Katie Britt Champions Protecting Alabamians from Financial Scammers

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 12, 2024 – U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) today during a U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs hearing on consumer fraud and scams called for action in order to stop the growing number of financial scams. She raised awareness of how Alabamians can educate themselves on how to identify fraud risks, noted the important role the public and private sector play in increasing consumer education and awareness, and promoted the empowerment of law enforcement officers to prosecute these crimes. 

“The surge of financial scams – and particularly those targeted at our elderly neighbors and friends – is incredibly disturbing,”said Senator Britt. “Nation-wide fraud losses topped $10 billion last year. Just in my state, Alabamians were defrauded out of nearly $74 million, up from $55 million the year before. This is staggering.”

“Elder financial exploitation in particular is growing significantly,” continued the Senator. “Just in the first nine months of the fiscal year, there were already over 250 cases reported (in Alabama). It’s clear we must be doing more. We must be more diligent. We must do better in educating our population, particularly the elderly population, with regards to everything from romance schemes to sweepstakes scams to impersonations, which ultimately let Alabamians become victims . . . I want to make sure we are enabling law enforcement. I want to make sure we are doing everything we possibly can.”

“I want all the people in Alabama to know that if you are a victim of this, we need you to report it. Step one,” said the Senator. “You are not alone.”

Senator Britt prompted the witnesses at the hearing to offer advice on how Alabamians can better protect themselves.

The key pieces of advice from the witnesses were:

• Report it
• Stay up to date on recent scams and fraud tactics
• Recognize that any cold call, text, or email is a potential scam
• When a communication seems valid but comes from a different phone or email address than is normal, end the communication, and call the institution yourself using the number you know and trust 
• Keep a list of trusted numbers and contacts on hand that can help if you feel you have been scammed 

To report fraud, contact the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov or call 877-FTC-HELP (877-382-4357).

To report a scam, call the Alabama Attorney General’s Office at (334) 242-7300 or visit AlabamaAG.gov.

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