U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue of the Eastern District of New York.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York will join five other federal prosecutor's offices, as well as other law enforcement, to form a transnational strike force targeting foreign-based fraud schemes disproportionately affecting American seniors, according to EDNY U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue.

“Schemes that target elderly and vulnerable victims are unconscionable,” Donoghue said in a news release June 13 that helped to announce the new joint law enforcement effort.

“The Transnational Elder Fraud Strike Force will use every resource available to ensure that, no matter where they are, perpetrators of elder fraud will be stopped and prosecuted,” he said.

Donoghue's office's news release said that U.S. Attorney General William Barr was announcing the establishment of the Transnational Elder Fraud Strike Force, which will focus on investigating and prosecuting people and entities associated with the foreign-based schemes including telemarketing, mass-mailing and tech-support fraud schemes.

The strike force will use “analytical tools and sophisticated investigative approaches,” and it will be composed of prosecutors and data analysts from the DOJ's Consumer Protection Branch, the six federal prosecutor's offices across the country, FBI special agents, postal inspectors and other law enforcement personnel, the news release said. The other prosecutor's offices include the Central District of California, the Middle and Southern districts of Florida, the Northern District of Georgia and the Southern District of Texas.

The strike force will also collaborate with the Federal Trade Commission and industry partners that have said they will engage with law enforcement “to help end the scourge of elder fraud,” the news release noted.

Moreover, it will benefit from the aid of Elder Justice Coordinators now assigned in every U.S. attorney's office, the release said.

In addition, the strike force will “coordinate closely” with foreign law enforcement, and will “use all available criminal and civil tools to stop victims from losing money and to hold wrongdoers responsible,” according to the announcement.

“Fraud against the elderly is on the rise,” Barr said in the release. “One of the most significant and pernicious causes for this increase is foreign-based fraud schemes. … The Department of Justice is committed to ending the victimization of elders across the country.”

Said Chief Postal Inspector Gary Barksdale, “Our consumer awareness programs, coupled with our investigative efforts, have prevented countless older Americans from fraud and financial exploitation. But there's so much more than can be done.”

FBI Director Christopher Wray said, “We're committed to keeping our elderly citizens safe, whether they're being targeted door-to-door, over the phone, or online, from thousands of miles away.”

The news release said that for more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. Elder fraud complaints can be filed with the FTC at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov or at 877-FTC-HELP, it said. The DOJ provides a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization via its Office of Victims of Crime, which can be reached at www.ovc.gov, and the release said that information about the DOJ's efforts to help U.S. seniors is available at its Elder Justice Initiative web page.