A Webinar for Consumers: COVID-19 Scams and Older Adults
The Consumer and Government Affairs Bureau, along with its partners, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the Department of Health and Human Services’(HHS) Administration for Community Living hosted this webinar highlighting how older adults can protect themselves from current COVID-19 scams with a special emphasis on scams related to vaccines.
State and local health officials nationwide have recently developed area-specific plans for COVID-19 vaccinations. Older adults have been prioritized to receive vaccinations and are among the most vulnerable populations to be impacted by COVID-19. Desire for the vaccine and fear of contracting COVID-19 have created opportunities for fraudsters to use robocalls and robotexts to steal money and personal information from consumers, particularly older Americans. The webinar provided tips to avoid vaccine-related scams and information on resources available to older adults.
The agenda was as follows:
For additional information about the webinar, please contact Chantal Virgile at Chantal.Virgile@fcc.gov.
Related Information:
Speaker Bios
Eduard Bartholme, Associate Bureau Chief, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, Federal Communications Commission
Ed Bartholme, the Associate Bureau Chief in the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau. Ed currently oversees the Bureau's outreach, education, and consumer complaint teams. Prior to joining the FCC Ed spent 10 years as the Executive Director of Call For Action, a national nonprofit, that partnered with media outlets to provide consumer education and mediation services.
Hilary Dalin, Director, Office of Elder Justice and Adult Protective Services, Administration on Aging, Administration for Community Living, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Hilary Dalin is the Director of the Office of Elder Justice and Adult Protective Services at the Administration for Community Living in Washington DC. The Office coordinates and manages a federal strategy for elder justice, to provide coordinated and seamless responses to transform adult victims of abuse into survivors and to prevent abuse before it happens. The Office supports elder rights and legal assistance programs for older Americans funded in every state, and also supports pension counseling and assistance programs. The Office also works closely with ACL’s Office of Long-Term Ombudsman Programs.
Previously Hilary was with the Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Prior to joining the government, she was a legal assistance attorney and manager in older Americans offices for many years, served as Ombudsman legal back-up and trainer in several states, and has taught elder law and health law at a number of law schools.
Keyla Hernandez Ulloa, Assciate Division Chief, Consumer Affairs and Outreach Division, Federal Communications Commission
Keyla Hernandez Ulloa is the Associate Division Chief for the FCC’s Consumer Affairs and Outreach Division. In this compacity she provides strategic leadership with regards to planning, developing and managing the Division’s consumer-facing outreach efforts and agency-wide projects.
Patrick Webre, Chief, Consumer and Government Affairs Bureau, Federal Communications Commission
Patrick Webre is a veteran communications attorney with more than 25 years of government and private sector experience. As Chief of the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission, he oversees the development and implementation of consumer and disability-related policies, consumer education, complaints and outreach to state, local, and tribal governments.
Lisa Weintraub Schifferle, Senior Policy Analyst, Office for Older Americans, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Lisa Weintraub Schifferle has over twenty years of consumer protection experience, including almost twelve years as an attorney at the Federal Trade Commission and eight years at the Maryland Legal Aid Bureau.