III
117th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 655
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 26, 2022
Ms. Collins (for herself, Ms. Sinema, and Mr. Scott of Florida) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to
RESOLUTION
Supporting the designation of May 13, 2022 as National Senior Fraud Awareness Day
to raise awareness about the increasing number of fraudulent scams targeted at seniors in the United States, to encourage the implementation of policies to prevent those scams from happening, and to improve protections from those scams for seniors.
Whereas millions of individuals age 65 or older (referred to in this preamble as seniors
) in the United States are targeted by scams each year, including vacation scams, Social Security impersonation scams and Internal Revenue Service impersonation scams, other government agency impersonation scams, veterans benefits scams, sweepstakes scams, romance scams, computer tech support scams, grandparent scams, debt collection scams, home improvement scams, fraudulent investment schemes, pet scams, and identity theft;
Whereas other types of fraud perpetrated against seniors include Medicare impersonation fraud, health care fraud, health insurance fraud, counterfeit prescription drug fraud, funeral and cemetery fraud, anti-aging
product fraud, telemarketing fraud, charity and disaster scams, internet fraud, and cyberattacks;
Whereas the Government Accountability Office has estimated that seniors lose a staggering $2,900,000,000 each year to an ever-growing array of financial exploitation schemes and scams;
Whereas, since 2013, the Fraud Hotline of the Special Committee on Aging of the Senate has received more than 10,000 complaints reporting possible scams from individuals in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico;
Whereas the ease with which criminals contact seniors through the internet and telephone increases as more creative schemes emerge;
Whereas, according to the Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book 2021 released by the Federal Trade Commission, individuals age 60 or older reported losing $1,034,000,000 to fraud in 2021, with a median loss for victims age 80 or older of $1,500, nearly 3 times the median amount lost by those victims between the ages of 50 and 59;
Whereas senior fraud is underreported by victims due to shame, stigma, and lack of information about where to report fraud; and
Whereas May 13, 2022 is an appropriate day to establish as National Senior Fraud Awareness Day
: Now, therefore, be it
That the Senate—
supports the designation of May 13, 2022 as National Senior Fraud Awareness Day
;
recognizes National Senior Fraud Awareness Day as an opportunity to raise awareness about the barrage of scams that individuals age 65 or older (referred to in this resolution as seniors
) in the United States face in person, by mail, on the phone, via text message, and online;
recognizes that law enforcement agencies, consumer protection groups, area agencies on aging, and financial institutions all play vital roles in—
preventing the proliferation of scams targeting seniors in the United States; and
educating seniors about those scams;
encourages—
the implementation of policies to prevent scams targeting seniors; and
the improvement of efforts to protect seniors from those scams; and
honors the commitment and dedication of the individuals and organizations that work tirelessly to fight against scams targeting seniors.