FEASTERVILLE, Pa (March 2024) – Leaders from Penn Community Bank, the largest independent mutual bank in eastern Pennsylvania, joined state lawmakers and area business and government officials at a hearing last week focused on addressing the rising level of fraud impacting area residents. The hearing, entitled “Safeguarding our Community from Fraud,” featured Penn Community Bank’s Jeane Vidoni, President and CEO, and Rick Cimakasky, Director of Fraud and Security Management as expert witnesses. Also testifying were Fred Harran, Bucks County Sheriff; Jennifer Schorn, Bucks County District Attorney; Nicolette Brown, PECO Director of Customer Care.
Taking place during National Consumer Protection Week, the forum brough brought attention to threats to consumers’ rights, how individuals and businesses can avoid falling prey to fraudulent activity, and what policymakers can do to better support personal data protection efforts.
“Victims of fraud not only suffer financial harm but also endure emotional distress, facing the loss of their savings, homes, and dignity. Increasingly, the impact extends to family caregivers and taxpayers who shoulder additional burdens to support financially devastated victims,” said Vidoni in her testimony. “As our nation and our communities undergoes a demographic shift, with more seniors than children projected within the next decade, the urgency to address elder financial exploitation grows.”