[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 76 (Thursday, May 10, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S2629]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 506--SUPPORTING THE DESIGNATION OF MAY 15, 2018, AS 
 ``NATIONAL SENIOR FRAUD AWARENESS DAY'' TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT THE 
INCREASING NUMBER OF FRAUDULENT SCHEMES TARGETED AT OLDER PEOPLE OF THE 
 UNITED STATES, TO ENCOURAGE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF POLICIES TO PREVENT 
THESE SCAMS FROM HAPPENING, AND TO IMPROVE PROTECTIONS FROM THESE SCAMS 
                              FOR SENIORS

  Ms. COLLINS (for herself, Mr. Casey, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Nelson, and Ms. 
Cortez Masto) submitted the following resolution; which was considered 
and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 506

       Whereas, in 2017, there were more than 47,800,000 
     individuals age 65 or older in the United States (referred to 
     in this preamble as ``seniors''), and seniors accounted for 
     14.9 percent of the total population of the United States;
       Whereas senior fraud is a growing concern as millions of 
     older people of the United States are targeted by scams each 
     year, including the Internal Revenue Service impersonation 
     scams, sweepstakes and lottery scams, grandparent scams, 
     computer tech support scams, romance scams, work-at-home 
     scams, charity scams, home improvement scams, fraudulent 
     investment schemes, and identity theft;
       Whereas other types of fraud perpetrated against seniors 
     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 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 7,200 
     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;
       Whereas, according to the Consumer Sentinel Network Data 
     Book 2017, released by the Federal Trade Commission, people 
     age 60 years and older were defrauded of $249,000,000 in 
     2017, with the median loss to defrauded victims age 80 and 
     older averaging $1,092 per person, more than double the 
     average amount lost by those victims between the ages 50 and 
     59 years old;
       Whereas senior fraud is underreported by victims due to 
     embarrassment and lack of information about where to report 
     fraud; and
       Whereas May 15, 2018, is an appropriate day to establish as 
     ``National Senior Fraud Awareness Day'': Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) supports the designation of May 15, 2018, as ``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 in the United States 
     (referred to in this resolving clause as ``seniors'') face in 
     person, by mail, on the phone, and online;
       (3) recognizes that law enforcement, consumer protection 
     groups, area agencies on aging, and financial institutions 
     all play vital roles in preventing scams targeting seniors 
     and educating seniors about those scams;
       (4) encourages implementation of policies to prevent these 
     scams and to improve measures to protect seniors from scams 
     targeting seniors; and
       (5) honors the commitment and dedication of the individuals 
     and organizations who work tirelessly to fight against scams 
     targeting seniors.

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