Expressing support for the designation of May 15, 2019, as "National Senior Fraud Awareness Day" to raise awareness about the barrage of fraud attempts that seniors face, to encourage the implementation of policies to prevent these scams from happening, and to improve protections from these scams for seniors.

IV 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 339 Expressing support for the designation of May 15, 2019, as ‘‘National Senior Fraud Awareness Day’’ to raise awareness about the barrage of fraud attempts that seniors face, to encourage the implementation of policies to prevent these scams from happening, and to improve protections from these scams for seniors. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MAY 1, 2019 Ms. BASS (for herself, Ms. BONAMICI, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, and Ms. MATSUI) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce RESOLUTION Expressing support for the designation of May 15, 2019, as ‘‘National Senior Fraud Awareness Day’’ to raise awareness about the barrage of fraud attempts that sen- iors face, to encourage the implementation of policies to prevent these scams from happening, and to improve protections from these scams for seniors. Whereas Americans who are 65 years of age and older rep- resent more than 14 percent of our country’s population; Whereas senior fraud is a growing concern as millions have fallen victim to scams, including Medicare scams, sweep- stakes and lottery scams, work-at-home scams, bereave- ment scams, identity theft, charity scams, scams tar- VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:15 May 01, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR339.IH HR339 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 339 IH geting older women, home repair scams, fraudulent in- vestment schemes, and reverse mortgage scams; Whereas other types of fraud perpetrated against senior citi- zens include health care fraud, health insurance fraud, counterfeit prescription drug fraud, funeral and cemetery fraud, ‘‘anti-aging’’ product fraud, telemarketing fraud, and internet fraud; Whereas the life savings of senior citizens who have saved for retirement are tempting targets for these methods of fraud and deception; Whereas the ease of access for criminals to contact seniors through the internet and telephone increases as more cre- ative schemes emerge; Whereas according to the Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book 2018 released by the Federal Trade Commission, people aged 60 years and older were defrauded of $391 million during 2018, with the median loss to defrauded victims aged 80 and older averaging $1,700 per person, more than three times the average amount lost by those aged between 50 and 59 years old; Whereas senior fraud is underreported by victims due to em- barrassment and lack of information about where to re- port fraud; and Whereas May 15, 2019, 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 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:15 May 01, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR339.IH HR339 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 339 IH (2) recognizes ‘‘National Senior Fraud Aware- 1 ness Day’’ as an opportunity to raise awareness 2 about the barrage of scams that seniors face in per- 3 son, by mail, on the phone, and online; 4 (3) encourages implementation of policies to 5 prevent these scams and to improve protections for 6 seniors from these scams; and 7 (4) honors the commitment and dedication of 8 the individuals who work tirelessly to fight against 9 these scams. 10 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:15 May 01, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR339.IH HR339 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS