Policy Updates

Federal Policy & Enforcement Developments

The administration launched three major anti-fraud enforcement initiatives in the opening months of 2026. Together they represent the most significant restructuring of federal fraud enforcement in recent years — creating new prosecution infrastructure, cross-agency coordination, and explicit mandates to prioritize elder fraud and cyber-enabled scams.

January 8, 2026   ·   DOJ / NEW DIVISION

National Fraud Enforcement Division (NFED) Established Within DOJ

The Department of Justice formally created the National Fraud Enforcement Division — a consolidated enforcement unit that absorbs DOJ’s existing Tax Section, Healthcare Fraud Unit, and Market/Government/Consumer Fraud Unit under a single command. The NFED is the operational engine for federal fraud prosecution. Led by Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald, it targets healthcare fraud, tax fraud, benefits fraud, and schemes to misappropriate taxpayer funds. A National Fraud Detection Center will use data analytics to identify fraud patterns across government programs. Every U.S. Attorney’s office nationwide is required to designate a dedicated fraud prosecutor to coordinate with the NFED.

›  White House Fact Sheet — National Fraud Enforcement Division

›  DOJ Establishes NFED — Holland & Knight

March 6, 2026   ·   EXECUTIVE ORDER

E.O. 14390 — Combating Cybercrime, Fraud, and Predatory Schemes Against American Citizens

President Trump signed Executive Order 14390, directing the full weight of the federal government against transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) operating overseas scam centers that target Americans — particularly older adults. The order mandates a comprehensive government-wide review of all available operational, technical, diplomatic, and regulatory tools to combat TCO-run fraud. The Attorney General is directed to prioritize prosecutions of cyber-enabled fraud and scam schemes. An action plan must identify the specific TCOs behind scam centers and propose concrete measures to prevent, disrupt, investigate, and dismantle their operations. The NFED within DOJ is the primary vehicle for executing these prosecutions.

›  E.O. 14390 Full Text — White House

›  Fact Sheet — Cybercrime Executive Order

›  Federal Register — E.O. 14390

March 16, 2026   ·   EXECUTIVE ORDER

E.O. 14395 — Establishing the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud

President Trump signed Executive Order 14395 creating a formal inter-agency Task Force to Eliminate Fraud — the coordination umbrella that sits above the NFED and directs all federal departments to align their fraud-fighting efforts. Chaired by Vice President JD Vance, with FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson as Vice Chair, the Task Force includes DOJ, DHS, Treasury, HHS, DOL, HUD, USDA, Education, SBA, and VA. Its role is inter-agency coordination and intelligence sharing, not direct prosecution. The Task Force appears designed to redirect agency resources toward the NFED. Legal analysts anticipate possible expansion to include civil enforcement tools such as the False Claims Act.

›  E.O. 14395 Full Text — White House

›  Fact Sheet — Task Force to Eliminate Fraud

›  CRS Report — E.O. 14395 Analysis

How These Three Initiatives Work Together

NFED is the enforcement arm — it investigates and prosecutes. E.O. 14390 sets the targeting priorities — foreign-based TCOs running scam operations that target Americans, especially seniors. E.O. 14395 is the coordination layer — ensuring all 11+ federal agencies share intelligence and direct resources toward the same goals. Together, they represent the most integrated federal anti-fraud infrastructure to date.

Enforcement Results — Spring & Summer 2026

The initiatives above have moved from paper to prosecution. Every item on our previous watch list has now materialized — here is what the new federal anti-fraud machinery produced through early July 2026.

April 7, 2026 · DOJ / NFED

National Fraud Enforcement Division Formally Established

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche issued the memorandum formally standing up the NFED, and Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald — confirmed by the Senate on March 24 — took command. The division is now fully operational as the government's consolidated fraud-prosecution engine. A decision on whether civil fraud tools (including the False Claims Act) will be folded into the NFED is due roughly 120 days from the memo — watch for it around early August 2026.

› About the NFED — Justice Department

April 23, 2026 · DOJ / TREASURY / STATE — COORDINATED ACTION

Scam Center Strike Force Strikes Southeast Asian Scam Compounds

The most significant enforcement action yet under E.O. 14390. The DOJ's Scam Center Strike Force (launched November 2025) announced criminal charges against two Chinese nationals who managed the Shunda scam compound in Burma — where trafficked workers were forced, under threat of violence, to run cryptocurrency investment scams on Americans, including one theft of over $3 million from a single victim. In the same action: a first-of-its-kind seizure of a Telegram channel used to recruit workers for a fake-bank/fake-NYPD impersonation scheme targeting Americans' savings, seizure of 503 fake investment websites, and restraint of more than $700 million in cryptocurrency traced to fraud proceeds. The State Department announced a $10 million reward tied to the Tai Chang scam centers, and Treasury sanctioned Cambodian scam-center operators — including a sitting Cambodian senator. In June, Treasury added 35 more individuals and entities tied to the Prince Group criminal network to the sanctions list.

› DOJ Press Release — Scam Center Strike Force Actions

› Treasury — Further Dismantling of Overseas Scam Operations (June 2026)

June 2026 · FTC — DATA RELEASE

Consumer Sentinel 2025 Data Book Released: A Record $16 Billion Lost

The full-year 2025 fraud data we had been waiting for is out. Americans reported losing roughly $16 billion to fraud in 2025 — the highest on record and up about 25% from 2024. Imposter scams led all categories for the fifth straight year at $3.5 billion, and social media was the #1 place scams started: nearly 30% of loss reports, $2.1 billion. For older adults specifically, this confirms the pattern in the FBI's numbers — the scams reaching seniors most are impersonation-based and increasingly arrive through social platforms.

› FTC Press Release — 2025 Consumer Sentinel Data

› CNBC Coverage — Imposter Scams Lead for Fifth Year

June 2026 · DOJ / HHS

2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown: 455 Defendants, $6.5 Billion

The DOJ's annual health care fraud takedown charged 455 defendants across 56 federal districts in schemes involving over $6.5 billion in alleged false claims — including Medicare fraud schemes that exploit seniors' identities and benefits. If you or a family member receives a Medicare statement for services never received, that is exactly the kind of fraud this operation targets: report it.

› DOJ Press Release — 2026 Health Care Fraud Takedown

Items to Watch — Coming Months

• NFED civil-enforcement decision — The 120-day window from the April 7 memo puts a decision on moving False Claims Act and other civil fraud tools under NFED authority around early August 2026.
• Medicare Open Enrollment (October 15 – December 7) — The annual peak season for Medicare impersonation scams. Expect CMS and FTC consumer advisories in the fall; be skeptical of any unsolicited "Medicare" call.
• Continued Scam Center Strike Force actions — Additional charges, domain seizures, sanctions, and — the part that matters most to victims — forfeiture proceedings aimed at returning the $700M+ in restrained cryptocurrency.
• FTC Protecting Older Consumers 2025–2026 report — The elder-specific annual report to Congress, expected December 2026.
• FBI/IC3 2026 data — The next annual report (spring 2027) will show whether 2025's record 59% jump in senior losses was a peak or a step on the way up.

Page last updated July 10, 2026.