Google, major tech companies, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced a lawsuit on June 15 against the China-linked cybercriminal network “Outsider Enterprise” alongside Google’s endorsement of area Congressman Josh Harder’s Stop SCAMS Act, which would establish a government-wide task force to respond to cyberscams.

Harder represents California’s ninth Congressional district, covering several Central Valley communities, including Escalon, Farmington and Valley Home.

In a statement released on Monday, the Congressman noted that organized crime rings are overwhelming law enforcement and victims alike.

Groups like Outsider Enterprise have created over 9,000 fake websites, 1 million fraudulent URLs, and supported over 2.5 million scam texts to Android users alone.

Californians lost as much as $2.5 billion to online scams in 2024, in the form of robocalls, texts, fake tax collections, phony job ads, card-declined alerts, and cryptocurrency schemes targeting seniors, veterans, and working families.

Severe scams like identity theft are growing rapidly and increasingly targeting previous victims multiple times.

“International cybercriminals are robbing our families of their hard-earned savings, and we need a permanent solution to bring them to justice,” said Rep. Harder. “My Stop SCAMS Act would bring every level of government together to aggressively crack down on scams and the organized crime rings behind them. I’m grateful to have Google’s support and look forward to partnering with law enforcement and industry partners to stop cyber scams once and for all.”

How the Stop SCAMS Act cracks down on organized cybercrime:

New Task Force – Directs the FBI to organize a coordinated, government-wide task force to prevent and respond to modern scams.

Better Data – Aligns inter-agency actions, definitions, and data to improve the efficiency of scam-fighting efforts.

Prevention – Measures the effectiveness of scam prevention efforts and improves public education campaigns.

“We strongly support the Stop SCAMS Act,” said Halimah DeLaine Prado, Google General Counsel. “Shutting down scammers takes a coordinated effort, and this bill will help government agencies work better together to keep Americans safe. Thank you to Representatives Harder and Fitzpatrick (co-sponsor Brian Fitzpatrick, Pennsylvania) for championing this vital consumer protection.”