March 5, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 44 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session

[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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