[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 43 (Thursday, March 10, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S1124]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 543--DESIGNATING MARCH 10, 2022, AS ``NATIONAL `SLAM 
THE SCAM' DAY'' TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT PERVASIVE GOVERNMENT IMPOSTER 
  SCAMS, AND TO PROMOTE EDUCATION TO PREVENT GOVERNMENT IMPOSTER SCAMS

  Ms. COLLINS (for herself, Mr. Kelly, Mr. Scott of South Carolina, Mr. 
Casey, and Mr. Warnock) submitted the following resolution; which was 
considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 543

       Whereas hundreds of thousands of individuals in the United 
     States are targeted by government imposter scams each year, 
     including Social Security-related and Internal Revenue 
     Service-related government imposter scams;
       Whereas government imposter scams involve scammers 
     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 scammers 
     impersonate;
       Whereas, since 2013, the fraud hotline of the Special 
     Committee on Aging of the Senate has received more than 
     10,000 complaints from individuals in all 50 States, the 
     District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, of 
     which one-third were reporting possible government imposter 
     scams;
       Whereas there were nearly 400,000 government imposter scams 
     reported to the Federal Trade Commission in 2021;
       Whereas the Federal Trade Commission has estimated that 
     victims lost over $442,000,000 in government imposter scams 
     in 2021;
       Whereas, according to the Federal Trade Commission, in 
     2021, older adults reported larger median individual losses 
     as a result of government imposter scams than younger adults;
       Whereas, according to the Federal Trade Commission, in 
     2021, individuals in the United States reported losing 
     $23,150,000 to Social Security-related imposter scams;
       Whereas, in 2021, Social Security-related imposter scams 
     represented the largest category of complaints received by 
     the fraud hotline of the Special Committee on Aging of the 
     Senate; 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 10, 2022, 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 any means, 
     including by mail, telephone, electronic mail, or internet 
     websites (referred to in this resolving clause as 
     ``government imposter scams'');
       (3) recognizes that law enforcement agencies, consumer 
     protection groups, telephone companies, 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) ignore solicitations 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 Office of 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 that work tirelessly to fight against 
     government imposter scams.

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