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Protecting Seniors from Fraud Month
Promoted by Senate Aging Committee Chair
Sen. Craig joins chief postal inspector for satellite
media tour on Monday
Oct.
3, 2004 - A resolution declaring October as Protecting Older Americans
from Fraud Month is set to pass the U.S. Senate and U.S. Senator Larry
Craig, is taking to the airwaves to stamp out fraud against seniors.
Sen.
Craig and others sponsored the bill, which is printed below.
According to U.S. Postal Service officials and other federal agencies,
older Americans are the fastest growing age group to be victimized by
identity fraud and internet schemes.
To
help protect seniors, on Monday morning Sen. Craig will join with Lee
Heath, Chief Postal Inspector of the United States, as part of a
nationwide satellite tour. Craig and Heath will remain in Washington,
DC, but will be interviewed by television stations from California to
New York as they discuss a new DVD titled "Dialing for Dollars" which
features an investment fraud scheme that targets older Americans.
That
free DVD is available free by calling 1-877-987-3728 or by ordering
on-line at
http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors.
For
tips from the U.S. Postal Inspectors on how seniors can avoid fraud
Click Here
Seniors need to be aware that the nice sounding person on the end of
the phone line can too often be a vicious predator a nice sounding
voice who will simply rob you blind, Craig said. Seniors need to be
extremely careful. One step they or anyone else can take immediately is
to place their telephone numbers on the
National Do Not Call
registry at 1-888-382-1222.
Sen.
Craigs resolution (S. Res. 424) which designates October as Protecting
Older Americans From Fraud Month notes that there has recently dramatic
increases in fraud against seniors, including:
* An
80 percent increase in 2003 of reports of Internet fraud targeting older
Americans
* The amount of money lost by older Americans to Internet fraud
increased from $2,690,618 in 2002 to $12,818,313 in 2003, a 375 percent
increase in money lost;
* A 200 percent increase in 2002 of identity theft targeting older
Americans
Congressional Report on
the Bill
Calendar No. 749
108th
CONGRESS
2d
Session
S.
RES. 424
Designating October 2004 as `Protecting Older
Americans From Fraud Month'.
IN THE
SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 14, 2004
Mr. CRAIG (for himself, Mr. BREAUX, Mr. FITZGERALD, Mr. LEVIN, Mr. WYDEN,
Mr. DEWINE, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. HAGEL, Ms. MIKULSKI, Mr. COCHRAN, Mr.
SMITH, Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. BAYH, Mr. BURNS, Mr. CAMPBELL, Mr. BUNNING, Mr.
KOHL, Mr. BYRD, Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. HATCH, and Ms. STABENOW) submitted the
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the
Judiciary
September 30, 2004
Reported by Mr. HATCH, without amendment
RESOLUTION
Designating October 2004 as `Protecting Older Americans From Fraud
Month'.
Whereas perpetrators of financial crimes frequently target their fraud
schemes at older Americans because older Americans possess a large
percentage of the individual household wealth in the United States;
Whereas many older Americans have been divested of their hard-earned
life savings by fraud and frequently pay a high emotional cost, losing
not only their money, but also their self-respect and dignity;
Whereas perpetrators of fraud schemes against older Americans reach
their victims through the telephone, the mail, or the Internet;
Whereas the United States Postal Inspection Service responded to nearly
80,000 fraud complaints, arrested 1,453 fraud offenders, secured nearly
1,387 fraud convictions, and initiated 102 civil or administrative
actions involving fraud in fiscal year 2003;
Whereas fraud investigations by the United States Postal Inspection
Service in fiscal year 2003 resulted in nearly $1,500,000,000 in
court-ordered and voluntary restitution payments;
Whereas older Americans are often the disproportionate targets of
cross-border fraud, including prize promotions, sweepstakes scams,
foreign money offers, advance-fee loans, and foreign lotteries, and file
20 percent of all cross-border fraud complaints;
Whereas there was an 80 percent increase in 2003 of reports of Internet
fraud targeting older Americans, and the amount of money lost by older
Americans to Internet fraud increased from $2,690,618 in 2002 to
$12,818,313 in 2003, a 375 percent increase in money lost;
Whereas the Federal Trade Commission reports that 27,300,000 people in
the United States have been victims of identity theft in the last 5
years, including 9,900,000 people in the last year alone, and that
identity theft has cost businesses and financial institutions nearly
$48,000,000,000, in addition to the reported $5,000,000,000 in
out-of-pocket expenses incurred by consumer fraud victims;
Whereas there was a 200 percent increase in 2002 of identity theft
targeting older Americans, and credit card fraud is perpetrated against
older Americans at a higher rate than the general population of the
United States;
Whereas the Federal Trade Commission continues to successfully implement
its do-not-call registry, with 60 percent of consumers surveyed stating
that they registered and 80 percent of the registered consumers surveyed
reporting fewer calls, but more older Americans need to be aware that
the do-not-call registry is available;
Whereas fraud schemes targeting older Americans have caused losses
estimated at millions of dollars a year, and have cost some older
Americans their homes;
Whereas consumer awareness is the best protection from telemarketing,
mail, Internet, and identity fraud schemes, and the Federal Trade
Commission and the United States Postal Inspection Service have
resources available to educate and assist the public; and
Whereas it is vital to increase public awareness of the enormous impact
that fraud has on older Americans and to educate the public, older
Americans, their families, and their caregivers about a wide array of
fraud schemes, such as telemarketing, mail, Internet, and identity
fraud, and how to report suspected fraud to the appropriate authorities:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That
the Senate--
(1) designates October
2004 as `Protecting Older Americans From Fraud Month'; and
(2) requests that the
President issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United
States to observe the month with appropriate activities and programs
that--
(A) prevent the
purveyors of telemarketing, mail, Internet, and identity fraud from
victimizing the people of the United States; and
(B) educate and inform
the public, older Americans, their families, and their caregivers about
a number of financial crimes, such as telemarketing, mail, Internet, and
identity fraud.
Calendar No. 749
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