Q&A
NYC Aging's assistance for older adults dealing with potential fraud
1:01:11
·
3 min
The General Counsel from NYC Aging explains their agency's role in assisting older adults with potential fraudulent mail or services. They emphasize the importance of making constituents aware of their agency's resources.
- NYC Aging offers assistance to any older adult who needs help with potentially fraudulent mail or services
- They have an information referral hotline called AgingConnect for older adults and caregivers to call for assistance
- The agency can connect callers to the elder crime victim resource center or legal services providers
- Council Member Ossé expresses concern that the process involves too many steps and may not be efficient enough to address the urgent nature of deed theft
Penney Vachiraprapun
1:01:11
Yeah.
1:01:11
If I if I may, council member, I'm horribly sorry to hear that your family was impacted by this.
1:01:18
But I I did wanna, reiterate that I think one of the great things that all the members here can do is just to make sure that your constituents are aware of our agency.
1:01:27
We don't have a form per se or Mhmm.
1:01:30
A form or anything like that.
1:01:31
But any older adult who walks in and needs any assistance with mail that they think is fraudulent or services that they're not aware that they that they need, we are able to help them.
1:01:42
We we have a full suite of services.
Chi A. Ossé
1:01:43
That doesn't seem efficient.
1:01:45
Right?
1:01:45
You know, we have seniors and, like, I appreciate I really like, everyone who works for the city, I'm, like, deeply appreciative of the work that that you all do.
1:01:55
I'm sorry with the the tone of this.
1:01:57
It's just an emotional subject.
1:01:59
Just even the barriers of, like, having people having to come in with these documents to, like, wait on a line to, like, see if, like At least with
Penney Vachiraprapun
1:02:07
my agency, they don't have to do that.
1:02:09
We have Agent Connect, which is the information referral hotline.
1:02:13
So any older adult can call, any caregiver can call, and ask for assistance.
1:02:17
And how
Chi A. Ossé
1:02:18
are you how is the agency through phone when they call for that assistant able to review the documents that, are being As I mentioned, most of our services are not direct services.
1:02:25
Mhmm.
1:02:27
So if
Penney Vachiraprapun
1:02:27
someone were to call in and say, I received this mail.
1:02:33
Mhmm.
1:02:33
I think it's fraudulent.
1:02:35
I'm worried about my deed.
1:02:36
Yeah.
1:02:36
They could be immediately connected to either the, elder crime victim resource center or to our legal services provider.
Chi A. Ossé
1:02:43
I think that is way too many steps to, like, stop these these are criminals who are stealing people's homes.
1:02:50
I'm respectfully, streamlining this process and working with the state on identifying these these these frequent, solicitations that are coming to people's mailboxes is is is a better way to solve this.
1:03:05
We need to be making our government a bit more efficient in addressing this solution, seeing trends, noticing trends through collecting that data that people can submit through the mail that they're getting, and working with the state on on on holding those who are sending those those pieces of mail, who are calling their phone numbers accountable, I think could be a great step, in in identifying these trends and holding these perpetrators accountable.
1:03:31
I just want us to be, like, this has been happening for, can I have one more I have one more, I I re the look into that is great?
1:03:41
I like a commitment because I really wanna follow-up on this, maybe in, like, a week on what that looking into it looks like.
1:03:50
Secondly, I know that 58 arrests through the Department of Finance's efforts with the sheriff's office, it's impressive.
1:03:57
I I know that this is hard work.
1:03:59
It means that bad actors are off the street, but how can your administration, this mayoral administration, continue that effort in removing back back bad actors and holding them accountable?
1:04:09
And also, what else is the administration doing to prevent predatory actors and engaging in deed theft again?
UNKNOWN
1:04:19
So
Chi A. Ossé
1:04:21
And, also, this is not I'm not trying to be rude or or shady or any of that.
UNKNOWN
1:04:24
I'm just I'm
Colette McCain-Jacques
1:04:25
not taking it as that.
Chi A. Ossé
1:04:26
So Good.
1:04:27
Okay.
Colette McCain-Jacques
1:04:27
I'm not taking it personal.
