H.R. 444 – Seniors Fraud Prevention Act of 2017

AI-Generated Summary

Updated April 15, 2026 at 11:34 AM UTC

The Seniors Fraud Prevention Act of 2017 creates a new advisory office inside the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. The office’s job is to help stop scams that target older adults through mail, TV, the internet, telemarketing calls and robocalls. It focuses on monitoring fraud, educating seniors and their caregivers, and improving how complaints are handled.

Key Provisions

The FTC must set up an advisory office to advise the Commission on senior‑targeted fraud and to coordinate with other agencies.
The office will monitor the market for fraud in mail, television, internet, telemarketing and robocalls, and work with relevant federal and state partners.
It will provide consumer‑education materials about common scams, how to report them, and maintain a public website for seniors, families, and caregivers.
The office will log fraud complaints in the Consumer Sentinel Network, make them instantly available to law‑enforcement agencies, and give complainants information about fraud schemes.
All of these activities must begin within one year after the law is enacted.

Legislative Activity

Stay on top of the latest movement without scrolling through every action

2 earlier actions

HouseCommittee Latest Action

Referred to the Subcommittee on Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection.

Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee

January 25, 2017

View full timeline

HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

January 11, 2017

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Energy and Commerce Committee

January 11, 2017

HouseCommittee

Referred to the Subcommittee on Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection.

Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee

January 25, 2017

Bill Text

Latest available legislative text

Reading Mode

Raw Text PDF XML

Introduced in HouseIssued January 11, 2017

I

115th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 444

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

January 11, 2017

Mr. Deutch (for himself, Mr. Buchanan, and Mr. Welch) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

A BILL

To establish an advisory office within the Bureau of Consumer Protection of the Federal Trade Commission to prevent fraud targeting seniors, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Seniors Fraud Prevention Act of 2017.

2.

Office for the Prevention of Fraud Targeting Seniors

(a)

Establishment of advisory office

The Federal Trade Commission shall establish an office within the Bureau of Consumer Protection for the purpose of advising the Commission on the prevention of fraud targeting seniors and to assist the Commission with the following:

(1)

Oversight

The advisory office shall monitor the market for mail, television, Internet, telemarketing, and recorded message telephone call (hereinafter referred to as robocall) fraud targeting seniors and shall coordinate with other relevant agencies regarding the requirements of this section.

(2)

Consumer education

The Commission through the advisory office shall, in consultation with the Attorney General, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Postmaster General, the Chief Postal Inspector for the United States Postal Inspection Service, and other relevant agencies—

(A)

disseminate to seniors and families and caregivers of seniors general information on mail, television, Internet, telemarketing, and robocall fraud targeting seniors, including descriptions of the most common fraud schemes;

(B)

disseminate to seniors and families and caregivers of seniors information on reporting complaints of fraud targeting seniors either to the national toll-free telephone number established by the Commission for reporting such complaints, or to the Consumer Sentinel Network, operated by the Commission, where such complaints will become immediately available to appropriate law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the attorneys general of the States;

(C)

in response to a specific request about a particular entity or individual, provide publically available information of enforcement action taken by the Commission for mail, television, Internet, telemarketing, and robocall fraud against such entity; and

(D)

maintain a Web site to serve as a resource for information for seniors and families and caregivers of seniors regarding mail, television, Internet, telemarketing, robocall, and other identified fraud targeting seniors.

(3)

Complaints

The Commission through the advisory office shall, in consultation with the Attorney General, establish procedures to—

(A)

log and acknowledge the receipt of complaints by individuals who believe they have been a victim of mail, television, Internet, telemarketing, and robocall fraud in the Consumer Sentinel Network, and shall make those complaints immediately available to Federal, State, and local law enforcement authorities; and

(B)

provide to individuals described in subparagraph (A), and to any other persons, specific and general information on mail, television, Internet, telemarketing, and robocall fraud, including descriptions of the most common schemes using such methods of communication.

(b)

Commencement

The Commission shall commence carrying out the requirements of this section not later than one year after the date of enactment of this Act.