Mar. 11, 2024
HARRISBURG–As bad actors continue to manipulate innocent people with unscrupulous scams, Rep. Joe Hogan (Bucks) and the House Republican Policy Committee, led by Chairman Josh Kail (R-Beaver/Washington), convened a hearing to discuss this increasingly common corruption and ways to protect people.
The hearing, “Safeguarding our Community from Fraud,” featured the following testifiers: Fred Harran, Bucks County sheriff; Jennifer Schorn, Bucks County district attorney; Nicolette Brown, director of customer care, PECO; Jeane Vidoni, CEO, Penn Community Bank; and Rick Cimakasky, director of fraud and security management, Penn Community Bank.
“Keeping our community safe is a top priority for me,” said Hogan. “Educating consumers about fraud is key to protecting them from falling victim to scams. We are grateful to our law enforcement for holding these criminals accountable and leaders in the community, such as PECO and Penn Community Bank, who are taking great strides to protect consumers.”
The hearing took place during National Consumer Protection Week, which raises awareness of consumers’ rights and how they can avoid falling prey to fraudulent activity. No one is immune to fraud; however, older populations are especially vulnerable. Testifiers emphasized the importance of reporting suspected scams to police as soon as possible and reminded people to run an annual credit report to verify all activity is accurate. They also recommended tools and resources, many of which can be found via Hogan’s website,
rephogan.com/FraudScaminfo.
“Criminal activity targeting Pennsylvania’s aging population – or any population – is atrocious,” said Kail. “I strongly encourage all Pennsylvania businesses and consumers to determine their vulnerabilities and put safeguards in place. These scammers may be getting savvier, but with the right preventive measures in place, we can stop them before any harm is done.”
To watch the complete hearing,
click here.
Representative Joe Hogan
142nd Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Joe Szymanski
717-808-4961
jsyzmanski@pahousegop.com
RepHogan.com / Facebook.com/RepHogan/