[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1229 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1229

Supporting the designation of May 15, 2024, 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 15, 2024

  Ms. Kaptur (for herself, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mrs. Napolitano, and Mr. 
  Smith of New Jersey) submitted the following resolution; which was 
            referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Supporting the designation of May 15, 2024, 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, health and benefits scams, 
        sweepstakes scams, romance scams, computer tech support scams, 
        grandparent and person-in-need scams, debt collection scams, home 
        improvement scams, fraudulent investment schemes, pet scams, job 
        opportunity scams, timeshare exit 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 and scammers employ 
        new technologies, such as artificial intelligence and ``spoofing'' of 
        caller ID information, to fraudulently gain the trust of seniors;
Whereas, according to the Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book 2023 released by 
        the Federal Trade Commission, individuals age 60 or older reported 
        losing almost $2,000,000,000 to fraud in 2023, with a median loss for 
        victims age 80 or older of $1,450, more than 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 15, 2024, is an appropriate day to establish as ``National Senior 
        Fraud Awareness Day'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the designation of ``National Senior Fraud 
        Awareness Day'';
            (2) 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;
            (3) recognizes that law enforcement agencies, consumer 
        protection groups, area agencies on aging, and financial 
        institutions all play vital roles in--
                    (A) preventing the proliferation of scams targeting 
                seniors in the United States; and
                    (B) educating seniors about those scams;
            (4) encourages--
                    (A) the implementation of policies to prevent scams 
                targeting seniors; and
                    (B) the improvement of efforts to protect seniors 
                from those scams; and
            (5) honors the commitment and dedication of the individuals 
        and organizations that work tirelessly to fight against scams 
        targeting seniors.
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