Supporting the designation of May 13, 2021, 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.

IV 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 392 Supporting the designation of May 13, 2021, 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. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MAY 13, 2021 Ms. BASS (for herself, Mrs. AXNE, Mr. CA´RDENAS, Mr. CARSON, Ms. DEAN, Mr. DEUTCH, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mr. GOTTHEIMER, Mr. HIGGINS of New York, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mrs. LEE of Nevada, Ms. NORTON, Ms. BONAMICI, and Ms. SCHAKOWSKY) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce RESOLUTION Supporting the designation of May 13, 2021, 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 implemen- tation 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 Social Security impersonation scams and Internal Revenue Service im- personation scams, sweepstakes scams, romance scams, VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:37 May 14, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR392.IH HR392 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 392 IH computer tech support scams, grandparent scams, debt scams, home improvement scams, fraudulent investment schemes, pet scams, and identity theft; Whereas other types of fraud perpetrated against seniors in- clude health care fraud, health insurance fraud, counter- feit prescription drug fraud, funeral and cemetery fraud, ‘‘anti-aging’’ product fraud, telemarketing fraud, and internet fraud; Whereas scammers are, as of the date of adoption of this res- olution, exploiting the ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID–19) pandemic to prey on seniors through a vari- ety of scams, including Economic Impact Payment scams, test kit scams, contact tracing scams, work-from- home scams, and COVID–19 vaccine survey scams; 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 Com- mittee on Aging of the Senate has received more than 10,000 complaints reporting possible scams from individ- uals 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 cre- ative schemes emerge; Whereas, according to the Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book 2020 released by the Federal Trade Commission, people age 60 or older reported losing $592,000,000 to fraud in 2020, with a median loss for victims age 80 or VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:37 May 14, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR392.IH HR392 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 392 IH older of $1,300, nearly 4 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, 2021, is an appropriate day to establish as ‘‘National Senior Fraud Awareness Day’’: Now, there- fore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) supports the designation of ‘‘National Sen- 2 ior Fraud Awareness Day’’; 3 (2) recognizes National Senior Fraud Aware- 4 ness Day as an opportunity to raise awareness about 5 the barrage of scams that individuals age 65 or 6 older (referred to in this resolution as ‘‘seniors’’) in 7 the United States face in person, by mail, on the 8 phone, and online; 9 (3) recognizes that law enforcement, consumer 10 protection groups, area agencies on aging, and fi- 11 nancial institutions all play vital roles in— 12 (A) preventing the proliferation of scams 13 targeting seniors in the United States; and 14 (B) educating seniors about those scams; 15 (4) encourages— 16 (A) the implementation of policies to pre- 17 vent scams targeting seniors; and 18 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:37 May 14, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR392.IH HR392 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 392 IH (B) the improvement of efforts to protect 1 seniors from those scams; and 2 (5) honors the commitment and dedication of 3 the individuals and organizations that work tirelessly 4 to fight against scams targeting seniors. 5 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:37 May 14, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR392.IH HR392 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS