[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 535 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 535

Designating March 5, 2020, as ``National `Slam the Scam' Day'' to raise 
awareness about the increasing number of government imposter scams, to 
encourage the implementation of policies to prevent government imposter 
scams, and to encourage the improvement of protections from government 
          imposter scams for the people of the United States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 5, 2020

   Ms. Collins (for herself, Ms. Sinema, Ms. McSally, and Mr. Casey) 
 submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Designating March 5, 2020, as ``National `Slam the Scam' Day'' to raise 
awareness about the increasing number of government imposter scams, to 
encourage the implementation of policies to prevent government imposter 
scams, and to encourage the improvement of protections from government 
          imposter scams for the people of the United States.

Whereas millions of individuals in the United States are targeted by scams each 
        year, including government imposter scams, such as the Social Security 
        impersonation scam and the Internal Revenue Service impersonation scam, 
        sweepstakes scams, romance scams, computer tech support scams, 
        grandparent scams, debt scams, home improvement scams, fraudulent 
        investment schemes, and identity theft;
Whereas, since 2013, the fraud hotline of the Special Committee on Aging of the 
        Senate has received more than 9,500 complaints from individuals in all 
        50 States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico 
        reporting possible scams;
Whereas government imposter scams involve criminals contacting individuals in 
        the United States and impersonating employees of government agencies, 
        such as the Social Security Administration, to demand payment or 
        personal information, which defrauds individuals of the United States 
        and erodes trust in the government agencies that the criminals 
        impersonate;
Whereas, since 2014, fraud from government imposter scams has been the top fraud 
        type reported to the Federal Trade Commission;
Whereas there were nearly 390,000 government imposter scams reported to the 
        Federal Trade Commission in 2019;
Whereas the Federal Trade Commission has estimated that victims lost nearly 
        $153,000,000 to government imposter scams in 2019;
Whereas, according to the Federal Trade Commission, in 2018, older adults 
        reported larger median individual losses as a result of government 
        imposter scams than younger adults;
Whereas, in 2019, the fraud hotline of the Special Committee on Aging of the 
        Senate received more than 5 times the number of Social Security 
        impersonation scam complaints than that hotline received in 2018;
Whereas, according to the Federal Trade Commission--

    (1) individuals in the United States reported losing nearly $38,000,000 
to the Social Security impersonation scam in 2019; and

    (2) in 2018, the Social Security impersonation scam contributed to an 
increase from 2017 in median financial losses reported by older individuals 
of the United States; and

Whereas increased awareness of, and education about, government imposter scams 
        help to thwart government imposter scammers: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) designates March 5, 2020, as ``National `Slam the Scam' 
        Day'';
            (2) recognizes National ``Slam the Scam'' Day as an 
        opportunity to raise awareness about scams that involve 
        individuals impersonating government employees by mail, on the 
        phone, or online (referred to in this resolving clause as 
        ``government imposter scams'');
            (3) recognizes that law enforcement agencies, consumer 
        protection groups, area agencies on aging, and financial 
        institutions all play vital roles in--
                    (A) preventing government imposter scams from 
                targeting the people of the United States; and
                    (B) educating the people of the United States about 
                government imposter scams;
            (4) encourages--
                    (A) the implementation of policies to prevent 
                government imposter scams; and
                    (B) the improvement of measures to protect the 
                people of the United States from government imposter 
                scams;
            (5) encourages members of the public to--
                    (A) hang up on calls from individuals falsely 
                claiming to represent government agencies;
                    (B) share information about government imposter 
                scams with family and friends; and
                    (C) report government imposter scams to--
                            (i) the Inspector General of the Social 
                        Security Administration;
                            (ii) the Treasury Inspector General for Tax 
                        Administration; or
                            (iii) the Federal Trade Commission; and
            (6) honors the commitment and dedication of the individuals 
        and organizations who work tirelessly to fight against 
        government imposter scams.
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