Supporting the designation of May 15, 2019, as “National Senior Fraud Awareness Day” to raise awareness about the increasing number of fraudulent schemes targeting seniors in the United States, to encourage the implementation of policies to prevent those schemes, and to improve protections from those schemes for seniors.

Supporting the designation of May 15, 2019, as “National Senior Fraud Awareness Day” to raise awareness about the increasing number of fraudulent schemes targeting seniors in the United States, to encourage the implementation of policies to prevent those schemes, and to improve protections from those schemes for seniors.

Whereas, in 2035, there will be an estimated 78,000,000 individuals age 65 or older in the United States (referred to in this preamble as “seniors”), compared to an estimated 76,700,000 individuals under the age of 18;

Whereas senior fraud is a growing concern as millions of seniors in the United States are targeted by scams each year, including Internal Revenue Service impersonation scams, identify theft or identity fraud involving Social Security benefits and other identity theft, sweepstakes and lottery scams, grandparent scams, computer tech support scams, romance scams, work-at-home scams, charity scams, home improvement scams, and fraudulent investment schemes;

Whereas other types of fraud perpetrated against seniors include health care fraud, health insurance fraud, counterfeit prescription drug fraud, funeral and cemetery fraud, “anti-aging” product fraud, telemarketing fraud, and internet fraud;

Whereas the Government Accountability Office has estimated that seniors lose a staggering $2,900,000,000 each year to an ever-growing array of financial exploitation schemes and scams;

Whereas, since 2013, the fraud hotline of the Special Committee on Aging of the Senate has received more than 8,200 complaints reporting possible scams from individuals in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico;

Whereas the ease with which criminals contact seniors through the internet and telephone increases as more creative schemes emerge;

Whereas, according to the Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book 2018, released by the Federal Trade Commission, people age 60 or older were defrauded of approximately $391,000,000 in 2018, with the median loss to defrauded victims age 80 or older averaging $1,700 per person, more than double the average amount lost by victims between the ages of 50 and 59;

Whereas senior fraud is underreported by victims due to embarrassment and lack of information about where to report fraud; and

Whereas May 15, 2019, is an appropriate day to establish as “National Senior Fraud Awareness Day”: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved,