FEDERAL AGENCY:

AUTHORIZATION:

The Telemarketing Fraud Against Senior Citizens program is designed to reduce the incidence of telemarketing scams perpetrated against the elderly through training and technical assistance programs, demonstration sites, public awareness initiatives, and reporting of fraud. BJA has supported a variety of initiatives and demonstration sites to combat telemarketing fraud.

TYPES OF ASSISTANCE:

Project Grants. Place Cursor Here for Definition

Applicant Eligibility: State and local law enforcement agencies, as well as public and private nonprofit organizations.

Beneficiary Eligibility: State and local criminal justice agencies; federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and personnel; public nonprofit organizations; and the elderly benefit from this program.

Credentials/Documentation: Applicants are required to submit a federal application for assistance, as well as a detailed program and budget narrative.

Pre-application Coordination: This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372 "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her respective state for more information on the process the state requires to be followed in applying for assistance. The standard application forms (SF-424) as furnished by the federal agency in accordance with 28 CFR, Part 66 (Common Rule), must be used for this program.

Application Procedure: The standard application forms as furnished by the federal agency and required by the Common rule must be used for this program. The program is also subject to the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-110.

Award Procedure: BJA reviews applications for completeness, accuracy, and compliance with all program requirements. Upon approval by the Assistant Attorney General, OJP, award letters and award documents are sent to the grantee. One copy of the grant award must be signed by a duly authorized representative and returned to BJA.

Deadlines: The deadline dates vary. Contact BJA for application deadlines.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time: Normally 60 days after receipt of applications.

Appeals: See 28 CFR, 18.

Renewals: Grants are renewable and may be extended. To be extended, the grantee must submit a written extension request 60 days prior to the expiration of the current grant.

Formula and Matching Requirements: Projects are awarded 100 percent of the project costs and no match is required.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance: Varies, depending on program goals and objectives. Generally, projects are funded for 12 to 18 months.

Reports: Unless otherwise specified in the award's special conditions, financial reports are due quarterly and progress reports are due semi-annually.

Audits: Payments and transactions are subject to audits by the General Accounting Office, the Department of Justice's Office of the Inspector General, state or local government auditors, and auditors from independent public accounting firms. Recipients must comply with the organizational audit requirements of OMB Circular No. A-133, Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations, as further described in OJP's Financial Guide, Chapter 19. In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133, (Revised, June 24, 1997), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organization, nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $300,000 or more in federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $300,000 a year in federal awards are exempt from federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133.

Records: Recipients of federal funds must retain all project related documentation for 3 years from the date of the final financial status report unless an audit has been initiated or an unresolved audit finding remains. This is in accordance with federal retention requirements to ensure the availability of complete information should an audit be conducted.

Account Identification: 15-0404-0-1-754.

Obligations: (Grants) FY 01 $3,165,064; FY 02 $3,100,691; and FY 03 est $1,995,000.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance:
$70,000 to $1,000,000.

To effectively address telemarketing fraud, BJA created a Telemarketing Fraud Training Task Force to administer investigations and prosecution training and to develop public awareness materials. The task force is a consortium comprising the American Prosecutors Research Institute (APRI), the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG), the National White Collar Crime Center (NWCCC), and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). NAAG serves as the lead agency for the task force. From 1998 - 2001, BJA has supported a variety of initiatives and demonstration sites to combat telemarketing fraud. Demonstration sites are a collaborative multi- jurisdictional approach to prosecuting and preventing telemarketing crime that were awarded funds based on an agency's ability to coordinate efforts among investigators, prosecutors, and private-sector partners in an effort to identify and shut down fraudulent telemarketing schemes and enhance prevention efforts.

Financial Guide, Office of the Comptroller, Office of Justice Programs.

Regional or Local Office: None.

Headquarters Office: Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance, Department of Justice, 810 Seventh Street, NW., Washington, DC 20531. Contact: Program Development Division. Telephone: (202) 514-5943.

Web Site Address:  www.usdoj.gov/bja.

Preventing Telemarketing Fraud Against the Elderly; Preventing Telemarketing Fraud Against the Elderly Training and Technical Assistance.

For competitive grants, criteria for selecting proposals is contained in the individual program solicitations. For non-competitive grants, applications received by BJA are reviewed for completeness, accuracy, and compliance with all program requirements.