Americans lose billions to scams each year, and lawmakers want to improve how victims are helped

Americans are cheated out of billions of dollars every year, and most never recover a cent. Two congressional Democrats now say that could change.

A new report from the Joint Economic Committee says federal agencies are not aligned on how to fight scams, how to receive complaints, or how to support victims. In response, committee members are pushing for closer coordination across government, stronger involvement from the private sector, and better assistance for people who have been defrauded.

“Transnational criminal organizations run massive compounds that exploit U.S. technology, including AI, to carry out scams against Americans with devastating consequences,” ranking committee member Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., said in a statement. “The scale of this exponentially growing challenge requires Congress, the Administration, and the private sector to all strengthen their efforts.”

By the numbers

According to the Federal Trade Commission’s latest report, Americans lost more than $260 billion to fraud in the most recent year. Although recovery efforts in fiscal year 2025 more than doubled the amount recovered in fiscal year 2024, the totals still fall far short of what was stolen.

The FTC said it provided $1.83 billion in consumer relief through fraud enforcement in fiscal year 2025. Other agencies returned even less to victims.

The FBI told the committee it returned more than $336 million to scam victims in 2025. The Secret Service said it returned more than $770 million in seized assets across fiscal years 2024 and 2025, though it noted that the money came from several kinds of fraud, not scams alone.

The State Department also said foreign law enforcement agencies it supports seized “in the low hundreds of millions of dollars,” but told Congress to seek further details from the Justice, Homeland Security and Treasury departments, according to The Associated Press.

The problem likely reaches well beyond the reported $260 billion. A Gallup report released in June found that 1 in 4 American adults have been scammed, and 75% of victims said they did not report it because they did not believe it would help them get their money back.

Gallup also found that 82% of American adults believe the government is not doing enough to stop scams.

What can the government do?

In the report, Hassan and Rep. Don Beyer urged Congress to pass the bipartisan ReportScams.gov Act. The bill, which Hassan co-sponsored with Florida Sen. Rick Scott, would create a central online portal for Americans to report scams and request help.

“Scammers and fraudsters have gotten completely out of control and prey on the most vulnerable Americans, especially seniors,” Scott said when introducing the legislation. “At best, they bombard victims with relentless phone calls and messages. At worst, they pinpoint targets to steal hard-earned savings and destroy lives. Fraud prevention isn’t just a financial issue; it’s a matter of national security and dignity for older Americans.”

The JEC report says passing the ReportScams.gov Act would be only a first step.

“Scam networks operate across borders, jurisdictions, industries, and technologies, exploiting gaps between public and private sector entities,” the report said. “Meeting this challenge will require federal agencies to coordinate in a unified way; improve reporting and support for victims; work closely with the private sector to prevent and mitigate scam impacts; engage state and local officials; and ensure that laws and company practices evolve alongside the methods of transnational criminal organizations.”

In March, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to develop an action plan to combat scams. It also instructed the National Coordination Center to create an operational cell responsible for coordinating federal efforts to detect, disrupt, dismantle and deter scams, including by involving the private sector when appropriate.

Even so, the JEC report says the country still lacks “a coherent whole-of-government strategy to combat scams.”

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