[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 43 (Wednesday, March 4, 2020)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 12721-12722]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-04555]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 43 / Wednesday, March 4, 2020 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 12721]]


                Proclamation 9991 of February 28, 2020

                
National Consumer Protection Week, 2020

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Since my election, the United States economy has 
                experienced a historic revitalization. Americans across 
                our country have been the beneficiaries of and the 
                driving force behind this extraordinary resurgence. 
                Wages are growing at their fastest rate in a decade; 
                the unemployment rate has reached its lowest level in 
                half a century; and for the first time on record, there 
                are more job openings than unemployed Americans. The 
                vitality of our economy has led to high levels of 
                consumer confidence. Even as we grow more prosperous, 
                however, we must remain vigilant for bad actors seeking 
                to harm and exploit honest and hardworking people 
                through deception and other nefarious tactics. During 
                National Consumer Protection Week, we reaffirm our 
                commitment to safeguarding the American consumer from 
                malicious practices and strengthening our efforts to 
                prevent and prosecute fraud.

                Scammers erode consumer confidence, impede the success 
                of businesses, and steal hard-earned money from 
                Americans. A popular tactic deployed by these corrupt 
                individuals is to exploit Americans' trust in their 
                government by falsely claiming to be a government 
                employee or to be affiliated with a government agency. 
                In 2019 alone, my Administration recorded nearly 
                400,000 reports of criminals representing themselves as 
                affiliates of the Social Security Administration, law 
                enforcement agencies, the Department of Health and 
                Human Services, and the Internal Revenue Service. Some 
                of these con artists tell people that their Social 
                Security number has been suspended and threaten to 
                freeze their assets unless they comply with demands for 
                money or personal information. Frightened consumers are 
                tricked into sending away thousands of dollars, 
                mistakenly believing their money will be more secure or 
                that they will avoid fines or penalties. These types of 
                ploys can be especially harmful to retired Americans 
                who rely on monthly Social Security payments as their 
                main source of income.

                To protect yourself from these vile criminals, do not 
                trust caller ID, which scammers can easily manipulate 
                to conceal their identity. Never respond to unsolicited 
                incoming calls or correspondence. Instead, contact the 
                real agency on your own. Additionally, report the 
                potential imposter immediately to the Federal Trade 
                Commission.

                My Administration is committed to using every available 
                resource to protect consumers and bring the 
                perpetrators of these crimes to justice. That is why I 
                signed an Executive Order establishing the Task Force 
                on Market Integrity and Consumer Fraud to enhance 
                efforts by the Department of Justice to investigate and 
                prosecute cases of fraud on behalf of Americans, 
                including the elderly, veterans, and service members. 
                In order to help Americans better protect themselves 
                against identity theft, I also signed into law 
                legislation allowing consumers to contact each of the 
                three major credit reporting agencies and to have their 
                credit reports frozen for free. Additionally, last 
                year, the Department of Justice announced the largest 
                ever coordinated elder fraud enforcement action, which 
                identified more than 260 defendants who had victimized 
                more than 2 million Americans. The Department

[[Page 12722]]

                of Justice has also taken strong action to block 
                foreign scammers from making billions of fraudulent 
                robocalls to American consumers.

                During National Consumer Protection Week, government 
                agencies, industry representatives, community groups, 
                and consumer organizations come together in support of 
                the same mission--protecting our Nation's consumers. 
                Consumers are at the heart of our thriving economy, and 
                protecting them must be a shared goal throughout 
                government and across the private sector. This month, 
                we remind all Americans to avail themselves of public 
                and private resources available to them to safeguard 
                their personal and financial information and to protect 
                against fraud.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim March 1 through March 
                7, 2020, as National Consumer Protection Week. I 
                encourage individuals, businesses, organizations, 
                government agencies, and community groups to take 
                advantage of the broad array of resources offered by 
                the Federal Trade Commission, the Consumer Financial 
                Protection Bureau, and the Department of Justice, and 
                to share this information through consumer education 
                activities in communities across the country.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-eighth day of February, in the year of our Lord 
                two thousand twenty, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                fourth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2020-04555
Filed 3-3-20; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F0-P