How American Technology Fuels Global Scam Operations
Associated Press | American AI models, internet infrastructure, and satellite communications are enabling international criminal networks to conduct scams at unprecedented speed and scale.
Americans Lost an Estimated $68 Billion to Scams in 2025
Gallup & Stop Scams Alliance | A national study reveals the staggering financial and emotional toll of scams on Americans, including losses that far exceed what is reported to federal authorities.
FTC Moves to Hold Tech Accountable for Impersonation Scams
Bloomberg Law | The FTC is developing a new rule that could hold social media, marketplace, and search platforms accountable for enabling and amplifying impersonation fraud.
INTERPOL videos highlight risk of AI deepfake scams
INTERPOL | INTERPOL has launched a powerful set of videos in a campaign to highlight the growing risk posed by crime that uses AI-generated or AI-altered media to scam.
FTC Report: Protecting Older Consumers 2025–2026
Federal Trade Commission | Scams and fraud target all ages, but hit consumers over 60 particularly hard. In its annual report to Congress, the FTC estimates the overall cost of fraud to older adults in 2025 could be as high as $119.5 billion.
Protecting Americans from Online Fraud: Erin West
Saturday Evening Post | A new profile of Erin West examines the criminal networks behind online scams, and the non-profit’s work to protect people and support survivors.
Exposing Online Scammers with Erin West
Financial Crime Matters | ACAMS Chief Analyst Kieran Beer interviews Operation Shamrock Founder Erin West about online scams, fraud, and related crimes that often rely on forced labor.
2026 Trafficking in Persons Report: Summary
U.S. Department of State | The State Department has released the 2026 Trafficking in Persons report. The report includes a section focused on the use of trafficking victims as forced labor to commit financial scams against Americans.
Scammed: A PBS Frontline Documentary
PBS | Scammed, a new Frontline documentary examines the global criminal industry built on scams and fraud, the people and technology that enable it, and the efforts to shut it down.
The Fraud Economy Has a Supply Chain; Erin West Is Going After It
PYMNTS | Scammers will take as much as they can. As Erin West tells CEO Karen Webster, “Whether it’s $4.5 million or $450,000 or $45,000, the scammer is going to take every penny that you have.”
Mapping Global Expansion of Chinese-speaking Scam Syndicates, 2010–2026
Humanity Research Consultancy | A chronological overview of Chinese-speaking scam syndicates exposes the transformation and geographic reach of their operations since 2010.
Proposal Providing Tax Relief for Scam and Disaster Victims Passes House
Press Release | The U.S. House of Representatives passed key provisions of a bill to provide tax relief to Americans who fall victim to financial scams or natural disasters.
Congress Moves Forward on AARP-Backed Fraud Protections
AARP | Bipartisan legislation to fund new resources for state and local law enforcement to combat fraud is moving forward after the U.S. House of Representatives passed it on September 15 by an overwhelming vote.
Chinese-origin Scam Syndicates Reach into South Asia
Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime | India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka are seeing a significant increase in trafficking, forced criminality, and Chinese-origin scam operations.
Social Engineering Is Changing How Banks Fight Fraud
Banking Exchange | As social engineering and AI-powered scams increase, banks and credit unions have new challenges protecting customers who have been manipulated into authorizing fraudulent transactions.
Most US Scam Victims Get No Help; Some Lose Even More Money
Associated Press and FRONTLINE | “What happens after the scam might even be worse than the scam itself,” said Erin West, founder of Operation Shamrock. What is being done to stop the scams?
Operation Shamrock Helps Georgia Return Stolen Crypto to Fraud Victim
The GBI, in partnership with Operation Shamrock, investigated the case and coordinated with the Georgia Attorney General’s office to recover the stolen crypto and return it to the victim.
Protect Yourself from Rental Scams
NBC Bay Area | Rental scams aren’t new, but tech helps criminals take the ruse to new levels. Erin West talks about a recent case in San Francisco.