Supporting the designation of May 8, 2025, as "National Scam Survivor Day".
This is a non-binding House resolution (H. Res. 397) that expresses support for designating May 8, 2025, as “National Scam Survivor Day.” It is a symbolic, commemorative measure intended to raise public awareness about scams, recognize victims, and encourage broader access to prevention resources and collaboration among government, private sector, and nonprofit organizations. The resolution cites recent data on scam reports and losses (notably from the Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau) and highlights trends such as social media scams, small-business scams, and the use of artificial intelligence in scams, along with the disproportionate impact on veterans, seniors, and young adults. It does not create new laws, funding, or regulatory requirements; instead, it urges awareness, education, and continued improvement of scam-prevention resources and law-enforcement collaboration.
Key Points
- 1Designates May 8, 2025, as “National Scam Survivor Day” and signals support for public recognition of scam survivors.
- 2Cites 2024 data: about 2.6 million Americans filed fraud reports with the FTC; losses exceeded $12.5 billion, up from the prior year; BBB data show 44% of reports involved actual dollar losses with rising average losses.
- 3Highlights scam trends and targets: social media scams (largest reported losses), small-business scams (fraudulent invoices, impersonations), and AI-generated audio/video scams.
- 4Identifies at-risk groups and losses: veterans (~$584 million in 2024), seniors (high exposure to scam attempts and victimization), and young adults increasingly affected by fraudulent employment offers and investment schemes.
- 5Encourages increased public awareness, use of federal resources to identify/address scams, collaboration among federal/local law enforcement, government, private sector, and nonprofits, and ongoing improvements to scam-prevention toolkits and survivor support.