Sponsors (7)
The resolution improves recognition of and support for senior-targeted scams—helping agencies justify prevention and likely reducing victimization—while risking modest taxpayer costs and potential increases in public anxiety or reduced trust in legitimate official communications.
Seniors and retirees are more likely to get protection because the resolution recognizes they suffer larger median losses and disproportionate targeting, which can drive targeted prevention and support.
Increased public awareness and education encouraged by the resolution could reduce victimization by prompting preventative actions among the general public, especially older adults.
Federal agencies and oversight bodies (e.g., FTC, Senate Aging Committee) gain documented evidence of the scale of losses ($10B+ in 2023) to justify outreach, prevention programs, or policy responses.
Taxpayers may face new costs if the recognized problem leads to expanded government outreach or prevention programs funded by public money.
Highlighting agency impersonation (SSA, Medicare, USPS, IRS) could increase anxiety or reduce trust in official communications, making some seniors and chronically ill patients less likely to respond to legitimate notices.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
States findings about the prevalence, costs, and elder-targeting of government imposter scams and emphasizes awareness and education to prevent them.
Official title: 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.
Introduced March 6, 2025 by Richard Lynn Scott · Last progress March 6, 2025
Directs attention to the scope and harms of government imposter scams in the United States and emphasizes the role of public awareness and education in reducing these frauds. It reports large, rising financial losses (FTC: $10 billion in 2023), highlights that older adults are disproportionately targeted and suffer larger median losses, and notes common impersonated agencies such as Social Security, Medicare, USPS, and the IRS. The resolution catalogs complaint data (including Senate Aging Committee hotline figures) and affirms that these scams undermine trust in government; it concludes that increased outreach and consumer education help prevent victimization.