[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 44 (Thursday, March 5, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S1603]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATE RESOLUTION 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
Ms. COLLINS (for herself, Ms. Sinema, Ms. McSally, and Mr. Casey)
submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:
S. Res. 535
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.
Mrs. COLLINS. Mr. President, I rise to recognize today, March 5, as
National ``Slam the Scam'' Day. I first want to thank my colleague from
Arizona, Senator Sinema, for working with me on a Senate resolution
designating today as National ``Slam the Scam'' Day. This resolution
will help raise awareness of Government imposter scams with a single
message: hang up and tell someone.
In Government imposter scams, criminals claim to be from Government
agencies, such as the Social Security Administration, and call
Americans demanding payment or personal information.
These scams look real because they often begin with an unsolicited
robocall using a spoofed caller ID, showing the name of the Government
agency they are pretending to be. In reality, the Government would
never call to threaten you or demand payment using gift cards, cash,
wire transfers, or internet cryptocurrency.
Government imposter scams have been the number one complaint reported
to the Aging Committee's Fraud Hotline since its creation in 2013. Over
the last two years, nearly 2,000 Maine consumers reported Government
imposter scams to the Federal Trade Commission, with total losses of
more than $700,000.
Last year, the top reported scam to the Fraud Hotline, which the
Aging Committee featured in our first hearing of the year, was the
Social Security Administration impersonation scam. Americans reported
losing nearly $38 million to this scam in 2019 alone, according to the
Federal Trade Commission. That undoubtedly is the tip of the iceberg.
Scammers are ruthlessly targeting Americans, and particularly older
Americans, across the country. In 2016, Philip Hatch, an 81-year Navy
veteran from Maine, lost $8,000 of his hard-earned savings to a
Government impersonation scam. These scammers first posed as IRS agents
and then impersonated the Portland Police Department.
Just last year, a Maine senior reported a call from someone claiming
to work for the Social Security Administration. The caller told him
that his Social Security number matched a credit card used to rent a
car found on the Texas border filled with drugs and blood. The caller
provided an FBI ID number and correctly identified when my constituent
had recently visited Texas on business. When prompted by the scammer,
he confirmed his date of birth and Social Security number.
These pernicious scams not only steal the savings of hardworking
Americans and threaten to compromise their personal information; they
also erode public trust and make it more difficult for Federal, State,
and local government agencies to fulfill their missions.
The Aging Committee, which I chair, has held 25 hearings on scams
over the past seven years, and we have examined Government imposter
scams from a number of angles. Public awareness can help to stop these
scams from the start.
I urge my colleagues to join me in marking today as National ``Slam
the Scam'' Day by supporting our resolution. Let's work together to
hang up on these Government imposters and put them out of business once
and for all. Let's slam these scams.
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