March 6, 2025
Mr. Scott of Florida (for himself, Mr. Kelly, Mrs. Gillibrand, Ms. Collins, Mrs. Moody, Mr. Blumenthal, and Mr. Rounds) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to
Designating March 6, 2025, as “National Slam the Scam Day” to raise awareness about pervasive scams and to promote education to prevent government imposter scams and other types of scams.
Whereas hundreds of thousands of individuals in the United States are targeted by government imposter scams each year, including government imposter scams related to Social Security, Medicare, the United States Postal Service, and the Internal Revenue Service;
Whereas scams cost United States consumers billions of dollars annually, disproportionately affecting older adults;
Whereas, in 2023, the Federal Trade Commission reported losses totaled over $10,000,000,000, which is $1,000,000,000 more than those reported in 2022, and the highest losses ever reported to the agency;
Whereas 1 in 4 people in the United States reported losing money to scams, with a median loss of $500 per person;
Whereas, since 2013, the fraud hotline of the Special Committee on Aging of the Senate has received more than 12,300 complaints from individuals in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico regarding possible government imposter scams;
Whereas, according to the Federal Trade Commission, in 2023, older adults reported larger median individual losses as a result of government imposter scams than younger adults;
Whereas government imposter scams involve scammers contacting individuals in the United States and claiming to resolve a government-related problem or impersonating employees of government agencies, such as the Social Security Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services, the United States Postal Service, and the Internal Revenue Service, to demand payment or personal information, which defrauds the people of the United States and erodes trust in the government agencies that the scammers impersonate; and
Whereas increased awareness of, and education about, government imposter scams help to thwart government imposter scammers: Now, therefore, be it
That the Senate—
(1)
designates March 6, 2025, as National Slam the Scam Day
;
(2)
recognizes National Slam the Scam Day as an opportunity to raise awareness and amplify the messaging about scams that involve individuals impersonating government employees by any means, including by mail, telephone, text message, electronic mail, social media, or internet websites (referred to in this resolution 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 and programs 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 corresponding agency, such as 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.