On National Scam Survivor Day, Rep. Whitesides Leads Survivors, Advocates, and Members to Push for Action on Scams

WASHINGTON, D.C. -Today, Rep. George Whitesides (CA-27) marked National Scam Survivor Day by bringing together survivors who have been personally targeted by fraud, the internet's most prominent scam-fighting creators, and members of Congress to elevate the urgent and growing threat of scams against American consumers, while highlighting legislative solutions to address it.

"As scams become more sophisticated, and more devastating - especially with the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence - it's imperative that we bring the full weight of the government to meet this growing threat," said Rep. Whitesides. "I'll keep pushing for legislative improvements, while working with brave survivors like Judith, and advocates like Art, Ashton, and Kitboga, who have done so much to fight back against scams in their own lives. Everyone needs to do their part - lawmakers, advocates, social media companies who can take a more aggressive approach to de-platforming scammers, large financial institutions who can monitor for suspicious transactions, and our enforcement agencies who can better crack down on bad actors."

Recent FBI reports show that Americans lost a record $21 billion to scams in 2025, and experts believe true losses are significantly higher due to underreporting. Scammers increasingly target seniors, veterans, and vulnerable families through phone fraud, romance scams, cryptocurrency cons, and government impersonation schemes. As these schemes grow more sophisticated and more devastating, Rep. Whitesides and speakers emphasized the need for Congress to quickly address this issue.

The press conference featured Ashton Bingham and Art Kulik of Trilogy Media, the viral YouTube duo whose docuseries "Scammed: Getting Even" has brought scam-busting to a mainstream audience, as well as Kitboga, one of the most widely followed scam-baiting content creators in the country with over three million YouTube subscribers. Judith Boivin from Maryland shared her personal story, and members of the Stop Scams Caucus highlighted important legislation to protect Americans from fraud and strengthen the federal government's ability to hold scammers accountable.

Earlier that day, Rep. Whitesides introduced the Veteran Scam Victim Foundation Act. This legislation would:

• Establish a nonprofit foundation to direct charitable contributions toward veterans and their beneficiaries who fall victim to financial exploitation.
• Support the VA's scam prevention education and victim services initiatives.

Rep. Whitesides is also fighting for the following bills to confront scams:

National Scam Prevention Coordination Act

• Establishes a National Fraud and Scam Prevention office in the White House.
• Designates responsibilities for the National Fraud and Scam Prevention Office Director, including:
  • Serving as the principal advisor to the President on scam and fraud prevention policy and strategy.
  • Coordinating the implementation of national fraud and scam prevention policy and strategy with federal agencies.
  • Annually reporting to the President and Congress on the effectiveness of national fraud and scam prevention policy and the status of implementation.
• Establishes a program providing liability safe-harbor for those who share non-personally identifiable information in good faith with the Office to enable increased public-private collaboration.
• Endorsed by AARP and Stop Scams Alliance

GUARD Act

• Authorizes state and local law enforcement to use federal grant money to target elder financial fraud, general financial fraud, and pig butchering.
• The federal grant money can be put towards:
  • Recruiting analysts
  • Providing training for dealing with complex financial investigations
  • Assisting victims
• Requires the Secretary of Treasury and Director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network to publish reports on efforts concerning general financial fraud and scams

Dismantle Foreign Scam Syndicates Act

• Creates an interagency investigation team to shut down transnational criminal syndicates that use large scam centers and forced labor of trafficked persons to perpetuate mass online scams against Americans
• Investigation team will create a comprehensive strategy to combat and dismantle scam centers and oversee the implementation of that strategy

SCAM Act

• Prohibits online platforms from displaying fraudulent or deceptive commercial advertisements
• Requires online platforms to investigate fraudulent commercial advertisements once reported.

Strategic Task Force on Scam Prevention Act

• Directs the Federal Trade Commission in conjunction with the Department of Justice, to convene an interagency task force for the purpose of addressing scams, and for other purposes.

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