Federal Communications Commission	


 RELEASED:  FEBRUARY 12, 2021

A WEBINAR FOR CONSUMERS:
COVID-19 SCAMS AND OLDER ADULTS

Washington, D.C. – The FCC’s 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, will be hosting a 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 will provide tips to avoid vaccine-related scams and information on resources available to older adults. 

	The webinar will take place on Tuesday, February 23, 2021, starting at 1:00 p.m. EST and will be streamed live at fcc.gov/live.  Registration is not required for this event.  

The agenda is as follows:

1:00 p.m. – 1:05 p.m.            	Welcome
				Chantal Virgile, Consumer Education and Outreach 							Specialist
FCC Consumer Affairs and Outreach Division

1:05 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.           	Opening and Keynote Remarks
				Patrick Webre, Chief
				FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau

1:15 p.m. –1:30 p.m.             	Presentation of COVID-19 Scams and Fighting Robocalls                                                       				Eduard Bartholme, Associate Chief									FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau 
				
1:30 p.m.  - 1:45 p.m.            Presentation on COVID-19 Scams and Financial Impacts on 					Seniors
				Lisa Schifferle, Senior Policy Analyst
				CFPB Office of Older Americans 
				
1:45 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.            Presentation Resources and Prevention of COVID Scams for 					Seniors 
Hilary Dalin, Director, Office of Elder Justice and Adult Protective Services 
			 	HHS Administration for Community Living
				
2:00 p.m.– 2:10 p.m.             Moderated Question and Answer Session 
				Chantal Virgile, Consumer Education and Outreach 							Specialist
FCC Consumer Affairs and Outreach Division

2:10 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.            Closing Remarks
				Keyla Hernandez-Ulloa, Associate Division Chief
				FCC Consumer Affairs and Outreach Division

	Questions can be emailed in advance or during the event to outreach@fcc.gov.

	Open captioning will be provided for this event.  Other reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities are available upon request.  Requests for such accommodations should be submitted via e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or by calling the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (voice).  Such requests should include a detailed description of the accommodation needed.  In addition, please include a way for the FCC to contact the requester if more information is needed to fill the request.  Last minute requests will be accepted but may not be possible to accommodate.

	For additional information about the webinar, please contact Chantal Virgile at Chantal.Virgile@fcc.gov.
 

– FCC –

 
 
 
 
 



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