[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4782 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4782
To establish a Federal Government priority goal, Scams Steering
Committee, Scams Action Plan, and website to promote scams information
and prevention, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 15, 2026
Ms. Hassan (for herself and Mr. Scott of Florida) introduced the
following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a Federal Government priority goal, Scams Steering
Committee, Scams Action Plan, and website to promote scams information
and prevention, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``ReportScams.gov Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs of the Senate;
(B) the Committee on Oversight and Government
Reform of the House of Representatives; and
(C) any other committees of jurisdiction, as
determined appropriate by the Comptroller General.
(2) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of
the Office of Management and Budget.
(3) Federal scams action plan.--The term ``Federal Scams
Action Plan'' means the Federal Scams Action Plan developed by
the Scams Steering Committee under section 3(c).
(4) Scam.--The term ``scam'' means a method of committing
fraud, involving the use of deception or manipulation intended
to achieve financial gain, regardless of whether any related
payments or transactions are authorized or unauthorized.
(5) Scams steering committee.--The term ``Scams Steering
Committee'' means the interagency committee established under
section 3(b).
(6) Scams priority goal.--The term ``Scams Priority Goal''
means the Federal Government priority goal to reduce scams
affecting the people of the United States established under
section 3(a).
(7) Scammer.--The term ``scammer'' means an individual,
organization, or entity that engages in behavior that
facilitates, commits, or attempts to commit a scam.
(8) Spoofing.--The term ``spoofing'' means utilizing
technological means, such as websites, email addresses, phone
numbers, etc., to impersonate legitimate or trusted persons or
organizations.
(9) State.--The term ``State'' means any State of the
United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of
Puerto Rico, any territory or possession of the United States,
any political subdivision, or any department, agency, or
instrumentality thereof.
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PRIORITY GOAL AND ACTION
PLAN TO REDUCE SCAMS.
(a) Establishment of Scams Priority Goal.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Director shall, in accordance with
section 1120(a) of title 31 United States Code, establish a
Federal Government priority goal to reduce scams affecting the
people of the United States.
(2) Goal leaders.--
(A) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall
identify goal leaders for the Scams Priority Goal.
(B) Selection.--The goal leaders identified under
subparagraph (A) shall include the Deputy Director for
Management at the Office of Management and Budget and
the Deputy Secretary or equivalent of not fewer than 1
Federal department with a lead role in addressing
scams.
(b) Establishment of Scams Steering Committee.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Director shall establish an
interagency Scams Steering Committee, chaired by the goal
leaders identified under subsection (a)(2)(A).
(2) Members.--The members of the Scams Steering Committee
shall include 1 or more distinct representatives from each of
the following Federal agencies responsible for reducing scams:
(A) The Department of Justice.
(B) The Federal Bureau of Investigation.
(C) The Federal Reserve.
(D) The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
(E) The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
(F) The Federal Trade Commission.
(G) The Department of Homeland Security.
(H) Homeland Security Investigations.
(I) The United States Secret Service.
(J) The Department of the Treasury.
(K) The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.
(L) The General Services Administration.
(M) Any other appropriate Federal agency, as
determined by the goal leaders.
(c) Federal Scams Action Plan.--Not later than 180 days after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Scams Steering Committee shall
develop a Federal Scams Action Plan that--
(1) may use the expertise of relevant Federal departments,
such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as any
prior work completed toward cross-agency collaboration by
relevant Federal departments with respect to scams prevention,
education, reporting, assistance, and enforcement; and
(2) shall include--
(A) the information required under section 1122(c)
of title 31, United States Code;
(B) a uniform, government-wide definition of scams
that includes, at minimum, fraudulent activity
involving the use of deception or manipulation intended
to achieve financial gain, regardless of whether any
related payment or transaction is authorized or
unauthorized;
(C) a related classification standard for scam
types;
(D) an initial baseline estimate of--
(i) the number and types of scams affecting
the people of the United States; and
(ii) the financial costs associated with
such scams;
(E) an ambitious 4-year target for reducing the
number and cost of scams;
(F) strategies and activities for the prevention
and thwarting of scams, including scams education
programs for the public and for private industry and
investigation into scams and scam-related activity; and
(G) strategies and activities for holding scam
perpetrators accountable and supporting scam victims,
including civil and criminal enforcement actions
relating to scams and assistance and guidance for
victims of scams.
(d) Website.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Scams Steering Committee shall
establish a secure, centralized, publicly accessible website
focused on scam prevention, reporting, and assistance that is
easily recognizable and accessible, with the domain name
reportscams.gov, which shall serve as the Federal Government's
primary and centralized public-facing website relating to scams
prevention, reporting, and assistance, through which the people
of the United States can--
(A) access Federal Government resources relating to
scams education and prevention;
(B) access resources relating to assistance for
victims of scams; and
(C) report scams.
(2) Information.--The website described in paragraph (1)
shall contain, at a minimum, the following:
(A) Published resources on scam prevention,
including the following:
(i) Specific scam awareness information.--
Information updated not less frequently than
once every 90 days on recent trends in scams,
as well as specific scams, to be aware of.
(ii) Scam education.--Information and best
practices aimed specifically at the public,
including individual consumers, on how to be
better aware of scams, how to recognize scams,
how to avoid scams, and how to prevent personal
financial loss associated with scams.
(iii) Immediate actions to prevent scams
and reduce vulnerabilities.--Information on how
members of the public, when receiving
suspicious outreach (such as phone calls and
messages, emails, and letters)--
(I) should take immediate steps to
prevent falling victim to a scam,
including how best to immediately cease
interaction with potential scammers;
and
(II) can identify potential
vulnerabilities that may result from
their interaction with a potential
scammer, including potential financial
vulnerabilities that may result from
the interaction.
(B) Information on government impersonation scams,
including spoofing scams, including the following:
(i) Descriptions and examples of common
scams that involve fraudulent outreach from
scammers purporting to be acting on behalf of a
legitimate Federal Government entity.
(ii) An explanation of how these scams can
utilize spoofing techniques to impersonate
trusted persons, organizations, and other
entities.
(iii) Verified contact information for
common agencies that are often impersonated by
scammers or associated with known scams--
(I) for the purpose of assisting
members of the public who, after
receiving suspicious outreach from a
potential scammer, wish to proactively
contact the relevant Federal agency via
the verified contact information to
verify the authenticity of any
suspicious information or claims made
as part of the suspicious outreach; and
(II) including a clear statement
that this information should only be
used to contact the agency, and not to
verify any potential outreach that a
member of the public may have received.
(C) Information on non-government entity
impersonation scams, including spoofing scams,
including the following:
(i) Descriptions and examples of common
scams that involve fraudulent outreach from
scammers purporting to be acting on behalf of
non-government entities, such as financial
institutions, charities, retailers, and other
entities.
(ii) An explanation of how these scams can
utilize spoofing techniques to impersonate
trusted persons, organizations, and other
entities.
(iii) As appropriate, verified contact
information for each non-government entity that
is often impersonated by scammers or associated
with known scams, if the non-government entity
explicitly consents to publicly providing such
information--
(I) for the purpose of assisting
members of the public who, after
receiving suspicious outreach from a
potential scammer, wish to proactively
contact the non-government entity via
the verified information to verify the
authenticity of any suspicious
information or claims made as part of
the suspicious outreach; and
(II) including a clear statement
that this information should only be
used to contact the non-government
entity, and not to verify any potential
outreach that a member of the public
may have received.
(D) Information and resources relating to
assistance for members of the public who have fallen
victim to scams, including--
(i) resources on immediate and long-term
steps to take if an individual suspects they
have been scammed, with an emphasis on--
(I) how to ensure that their assets
and personal information are
immediately safeguarded;
(II) any applicable personal
actions that can be taken to thwart an
ongoing scam;
(III) how to ensure the long-term
safety of their assets and information;
(IV) how to seek financial and law
enforcement assistance; and
(V) how to attempt to recoup
losses, as applicable; and
(ii) contact information and relevant web
links for the following organizations, so that
members of the public may reach out for
assistance:
(I) Relevant Federal law
enforcement agencies.
(II) Relevant State law
enforcement, including State Attorneys
General and State Police and
Investigative Services, subdivided by
State.
(III) As appropriate and within the
Scams Steering Committee's discretion,
relevant local law enforcement
agencies.
(IV) As appropriate and within the
Scams Steering Committee's discretion,
relevant State and local assistance
agencies, with an emphasis on financial
assistance, housing assistance, food
assistance, elder assistance, and other
forms of assistance.
(V) Relevant organizations that
provide mental health and crisis
intervention, including suicide
intervention and support.
(VI) The National Elder Fraud
Hotline.
(VII) As appropriate and within the
Scams Steering Committee's discretion,
additional organizations that may
provide relevant assistance to members
of the public.
(3) Reporting portal.--The website described in paragraph
(1) shall include a single, secure, centralized Federal
Government portal for scam reporting, through which members of
the public can report scams and potential scams, that contains
features and capabilities to accomplish the following:
(A) Provide members of the public a process to
directly and securely submit reports of scams that will
be directed to the appropriate authorities for criminal
law enforcement purposes, civil enforcement reporting
purposes, and general tracking of scams for Federal
Government purposes.
(B) Receive reports under subparagraph (A) and
ensure the reports are securely and expeditiously
routed directly to--
(i) the appropriate Federal agencies for
oversight, reporting, investigation, criminal
law enforcement, and civil enforcement
purposes; and
(ii) the appropriate State Police Agency,
or equivalent State-level law enforcement
agency, for the jurisdiction in which the
reporting individual resides. If no such agency
exists in the jurisdiction in which the
reporting individual resides, then the portal
shall route the report to the most appropriate
law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over
criminal investigations.
(C) With respect to reports routed under subsection
(B), provide to the applicable Federal and State
agencies--
(i) all information that was submitted with
the report;
(ii) the name and contact information of
the reporter;
(iii) the unique identifier under
subparagraph (D)(iii);
(iv) a request that the agency
expeditiously reach out to the individual
submitting the report; and
(v) a clear statement that the information
being provided in the report should be utilized
to support any follow-on interactions between
the individual submitting the report and the
agency.
(D) Provide a process through which members of the
public providing a report under subparagraph (A) shall
securely and expeditiously receive--
(i) confirmation of receipt of their
submission;
(ii) a copy of their submission;
(iii) a unique identifier assigned to their
submission;
(iv) a list of what Federal and State
agencies the submission has been routed to, as
applicable;
(v) an estimate of what Federal agency, if
any, will reach out regarding their submission
and when;
(vi) an estimate of what State law
enforcement agency, if any, will reach out with
respect to their submission;
(vii) information on how to subsequently
follow-up on their submission with the
appropriate Federal agency and State agencies;
and
(viii) a notice that in addition to
reaching out to Federal and State law
enforcement, the reporting individual may also
contact local law enforcement, should they
choose to do so.
(E) Provide general resources and follow-on steps
that members of the public can use following their
submission, including--
(i) a referral to the assistance
information on the website under paragraph (2);
and
(ii) information on filing a report with
local or State law enforcement, separate from
the portal, should they choose to do so.
(e) Public Awareness Campaign.--Upon establishment of the website
under subsection (d), the Scams Steering Committee shall undertake a
public awareness campaign communicating the existence of and
recommending use of the website.
SEC. 4. QUARTERLY REPORTING AND CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICATION.
(a) Quarterly Progress Review.--Beginning not later than the date
of the end of the first calendar-year quarter ending after publication
of the Federal Scams Action Plan, the Director shall ensure quarterly
progress reviews and updates to the Federal Scams Action Plan are
completed and submitted to Performance.gov, in accordance with sections
1121 and 1122 of title 31, United States Code.
(b) Publication and Submission to Congress.--Upon completion and
submission of each quarterly progress review under subsection (a), the
Director shall publish on the website established under section 3(d)
and transmit to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Oversight and Government
Reform of the House of Representatives the following:
(1) An electronic copy of the updated Federal Scams Action
Plan.
(2) A summary of the quarterly performance review.
SEC. 5. ANNUAL REPORT.
(a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment
of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Scams Steering Committee
shall publicly publish and submit to Congress, including the Committee
on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of the House of
Representatives, a report that includes the following:
(1) Data related to scams reported to the Federal
Government over the prior year, including, at a minimum, the
number of scams reported, a breakdown of scams by type, the
financial loss associated (or estimated) with scams reported
over the prior year, demographics related to victims and
targets of scams, relevant knowledge gained regarding the
perpetrators of scams, and any criminal or civil enforcement
data relating to scams during the 1-year period immediately
preceding the date of the report.
(2) Trends related to scams reported during the 1-year
period immediately preceding the date of the report.
(3) A summary of large-scale Federal Government
investigations related to scams during the 1-year period
immediately preceding the date of the report.
(4) Regulatory and legislative recommendations to prevent
and address scams.
(5) Additional information and recommendations, as
appropriate.
(b) Redacted Publication.--The annual report required to be
publicly published under subsection (a) may be redacted to remove
sensitive and classified material.
SEC. 6. INTERAGENCY COORDINATION TOOLS FOR THE SCAMS STEERING
COMMITTEE.
(a) Purpose.--The authorities under this section shall serve to
facilitate effective cross-agency implementation of the Scams Priority
Goal.
(b) Interagency Transfer Authority.--
(1) In general.--Notwithstanding section 1532 of title 31,
United States Code, and subject to the limitations in this
subsection, any agency represented on the Scams Steering
Committee may transfer to another such agency not more than
$10,000,000 during a fiscal year to support activities
necessary to implement the Scams Priority Goal, including--
(A) interagency coordination and governance;
(B) shared analytical, data, or technological
capabilities;
(C) development, operation, or improvement of the
website under section 3(d); and
(D) activities outlined in the Federal Scams Action
Plan.
(2) Limitations.--A transfer under paragraph (1) shall be--
(A) subject to the prior approval of the Director
of the Office of Management and Budget;
(B) made only from funds available for the same
purpose for which the receiving agency will use the
funds;
(C) treated as an intra-governmental reimbursable
transaction, and merged with the receiving
appropriation; and
(D) reported to the Committee on Appropriations of
the Senate and the Committee on Appropriations of the
House of Representatives not later than 30 days after
execution.
(3) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this subsection shall
be construed to authorize any transfer of funds between
appropriations that is barred by any other provision of law.
(c) Expedited Direct Hire Authority.--
(1) In general.--The head of any agency represented on the
Scams Steering Committee may use direct-hire authority, in
accordance with section 3304 of title 5, United States Code, to
appoint employees to positions necessary to carry out the
duties and responsibilities of the Steering Committee,
including--
(A) data analysis, cybersecurity, financial crime
analysis, user experience design, and fraud detection
specialists;
(B) program and project management personnel; and
(C) other positions the Director determines are
critical to implementing the Federal Scams Action Plan.
(2) Limitations.--The direct-hire authority under paragraph
(1) shall--
(A) terminate on the date that is 5 years after the
date of enactment of this Act;
(B) be available only for positions at or below the
GS-15 level of the General Schedule under subchapter
III of chapter 53 of title 5, United States Code; and
(C) be exercised in accordance with all applicable
provisions of title 5, United States Code, unless
otherwise provided in this Act.
SEC. 7. GAO REPORTS ON IMPLEMENTATION.
(a) In General.--Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment
of this Act, and 2 years thereafter, the Comptroller General of the
United States shall conduct a review of Federal efforts to implement
the Scams Priority Goal and submit to the appropriate congressional
committees a report described in subsection (b).
(b) Report Contents.--Each report submitted under subsection (a)
shall include an assessment of--
(1) the extent to which the Office of Management and Budget
and Federal agencies represented on the Scams Steering
Committee have implemented the requirements under sections 1120
and 1122 of title 31, United States Code, including--
(A) the establishment of the Scams Priority Goal;
(B) designation of goal leaders;
(C) formation and operation of the Scams Steering
Committee; and
(D) publication of the Federal Scams Action Plan
and related quarterly updates on Performance.gov;
(2) the effectiveness of the Scams Steering Committee in
improving interagency coordination and collaboration, including
the development of shared priorities, data standards, and
coordinated actions;
(3) the development, operation, usability, and performance
of the website under section 3(d);
(4) progress made toward meeting the 4-year target
established in the Federal Scams Action Plan for reducing the
number and cost of scams, including an assessment of the
reliability and sufficiency of supporting data;
(5) challenges, barriers, or inefficiencies impeding
implementation of the Scams Priority Goal; and
(6) recommendations the Comptroller General determines
appropriate to improve interagency coordination, public
transparency, performance measurement, or overall effectiveness
of scam prevention and response efforts.
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