Shamrock Updates: May 2026
Operation Shamrock Newsletter
Friends,
California’s Santa Clara County stands for all of us. On May 11, the county filed a lawsuit against Meta, seeking to hold it accountable for the damage it has done by hosting scam advertisements — knowing they were false, collecting billions in revenue, and even using their AI to help the ad brokers optimize the ads.
This is the heart of Silicon Valley, where I spent 26 years as a prosecutor before starting Operation Shamrock. This is a loud, clear call for justice. We demand responsibility:
For the ads that lured the trafficked to believe this was a real job.
For the ads that lured your cousin to make an investment.
For prioritizing financial gain over human beings.
It's as simple as this: Last year, Jeff Horwitz of Reuters uncovered internal documents showing that Meta knew the ads were false, that the ads accounted for 10% of Meta's annual bottom line, and that executives decided to tolerate deceptive advertising on its platform. I saw the documents. Horwitz won the Pulitzer.
Erin West
Founder, Operation Shamrock
Erin West to Speak Before U.S. House Representatives
The U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on China will hold a hearing titled “Crime, Corruption, and Power: The Rise of CCP-linked Scam Networks Targeting Americans and Threatening U.S. Security.” The hearing will be held May 19, at 10:00a EDT. Erin will join Jacob Sims from the Asia Center at Harvard University and Jason Tower from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime to speak about the human impact of scams on victims. >> Watch Replay
Be Heard: Share Your Scam Story
Share your experience to help educate our teams, the public, and the organizations we work with. The Survivor Stories program is an opportunity to share your story and help us learn from your experience, so we can better educate others to protect themselves and improve support for people affected by scams. >> Sign Up
Stolen Podcast
In case you missed them, check out our April episodes.
How Cambodia Became the Center of the Global Scam Industry
Erin West traveled in Cambodia with journalists Lindsey Kennedy and Nathan Paul Southern to see how the scam industry evolved and what’s happening with the “crackdown.”The Scam Industry Isn’t Going Away, It’s Expanding
Lindsey, Nathan, and Erin recount their recent travels in Cambodia, the humanitarian crisis of trafficking victims trying to get home, and being chased to the Vietnam border.Your Bank Might Know You’re Being Scammed Before You Do
BioCatch’s Sharell Barshishat digs into the fascinating (and alarming) intersection of banking and tech strategies used to commit — and fight — fraud.$196 Billion Stolen — And We Still Blame Victims
AARP’s Kathy Stokes highlights overlooked dimensions of the scam epidemic — including how we talk about victims and positive work being done to address the crimes.A Criminologist’s Research-Driven Take on the Scam Crisis
Dr. David Maimon discusses what research reveals about online fraud, how scammers select victims, and why we need to look in a different direction to prevent fraud.
THANK YOU TO OUR STOLEN PODCAST SPONSORS
We are grateful to Scamnetic and BioCatch for their support of Stolen and the work they do to detect and prevent scams every day.
3 Links to Click
Videos: Scam FAQs Operation Shamrock answers the questions we hear most often.
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Scam Resource Library Stay informed about scams, fraud, and the efforts to stop them with our listing of news, videos, podcasts, research, and more.
How to Support Operation Shamrock
Transnational organized crime syndicates steal hundreds of billions of dollars, household by household, every year.
Donations allow us to continue our work and build capacity to expand education, foster private-public connections, and take action in the fight against scams. If you’re unable to donate, sharing our message is a great way to support our efforts.
Operation Shamrock is registered in the U.S. as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.