[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 618 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 618

   Expressing support for the designation of the third Wednesday of 
              November as ``Utility Scam Awareness Day''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 13, 2017

Mr. Wenstrup (for himself and Mr. Ryan of Ohio) submitted the following 
 resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Expressing support for the designation of the third Wednesday of 
              November as ``Utility Scam Awareness Day''.

Whereas reliable electricity, natural gas, and water service is important to the 
        health, safety, and well-being of all Americans;
Whereas such utilities play a valuable role in supporting the economy and 
        security of the United States;
Whereas customers of such utilities continue to be victimized by scammers 
        impersonating utility company officials;
Whereas many scammers falsely threaten to disconnect utility services if same-
        day payment is not received;
Whereas scammer tactics have become more sophisticated over the years, including 
        leveraging spoofing technology to display a utility company's name on a 
        customer's caller ID and using a recording of a company's upfront 
        telephone menu message;
Whereas the utility industry is raising awareness of scammer tactics and working 
        with local, State, and Federal law enforcement agencies to identify, and 
        prosecute, the criminals perpetrating the scam;
Whereas the utility industry, in working with the telecommunications industry, 
        has helped disconnect over two hundred and fifty toll-free numbers 
        formerly used by scammers;
Whereas a national day to create awareness of scammers impersonating utility 
        industry companies will help educate, inform, and protect customers; and
Whereas the third Wednesday of November would be an appropriate date to 
        designate as ``Utility Scam Awareness Day'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the designation of ``Utility Scam Awareness 
        Day'';
            (2) encourages the people of the United States to observe 
        ``Utility Scam Awareness Day''; and
            (3) encourages utilities to use this day to raise awareness 
        and knowledge amongst themselves and the general public 
        regarding the threat posed by scams against utility customers, 
        and the techniques and tools used to identify and avoid them.
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