Declaring March 2-8, 2025, as National Consumer Protection Week in the City of Philadelphia.

Declaring March 2-8, 2025, as National Consumer Protection Week in the City of Philadelphia. WHEREAS, American adults lost $43 billion dollars to frauds and scams in 2023, according to the American Association of Retired Persons. Though anyone can fall victim to frauds or scams, seniors, immigrants, and non-English speakers are often explicitly targeted by scammers; and WHEREAS, National Consumer Protection Week is a national event where federal, state, and local governments and nonprofit partners highlight efforts to protect consumer rights and resources that empower consumers to learn to detect, report, and avoid scams and decrease their chances of becoming victims of fraud; and WHEREAS, The recent actions by the Trump Administration and Elon Musk’s DOGE to “wind down” the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which was created by Congress 15 years ago to protect American consumers, by halting all regulatory activity and laying off the majority of the agency’s dedicated staff, make local efforts to protect and educate consumers even more critical; and WHEREAS, There are protections in local, state, and federal law for Philadelphians from frauds and scams; and WHEREAS, Philadelphians are encouraged to look out for signs of fraud or scams, which include when a person tries to pressure them to act immediately and to pay in a certain way, such as through putting money on a gift card or by using cryptocurrency. Scammers often try to impersonate government agencies or trus…