Fitzgerald-Led Bill Protecting Retirees from Scams Passes House of Representatives
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the Guarding Unprotected Aging Retirees from Deception (GUARD) Act, bipartisan legislation Congressman Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05) introduced alongside Congressman Zach Nunn (IA-03) and Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), passed the House of Representatives.
The GUARD Act was introduced with one critical goal in mind—to combat financial fraud scams that target hardworking Americans. Scams have become increasingly complex, cross-jurisdictional, and technology-driven. Pig butchering schemes often combine social engineering, fake investment platforms, romance or confidence fraud, and cryptocurrency transactions that move quickly across wallets, exchanges, and borders.
State, local, and tribal law enforcement are often the first point of contact for scam victims, but many agencies lack dedicated personnel, blockchain tracing tools, training, and coordination channels with financial institutions and federal law enforcement.
The GUARD Act addresses this gap by allowing existing federal grant funds to be used more directly for financial fraud investigations, training, technology, data collection, and law enforcement coordination.
“As technology continues to evolve, so do the tactics used by criminals to defraud hardworking Americans. The House passage of the GUARD Act is an important step toward giving state and local law enforcement the tools they need to combat financial fraud and protect victims,” said Rep. Fitzgerald. “By harnessing innovative technologies like blockchain, we can stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated scams and better protect Wisconsin seniors and families. I’m proud to co-lead this effort, and I urge my Senate colleagues to take up the GUARD Act and pass it swiftly.”
“Iowa retirees spent a lifetime building their savings, and scammers are using increasingly sophisticated technology to steal it out from under them,” said Rep. Nunn. “The GUARD Act came directly from an Iowa sheriff's deputy who told me officers were watching criminals steal the life savings of hardworking Iowans but lacked the tools to track them down and recover the money. Today, the House voted to give state and local law enforcement the resources they need to pursue fraudsters, recover stolen funds, and deliver justice for victims. I urge the Senate to take it up without delay and get these protections to the Iowans who need them.”
BACKGROUND: Financial fraud, elder exploitation, and cryptocurrency-enabled scams continue to impose significant losses on American consumers, particularly seniors. The FTC reported that consumers lost about $16 billion to fraud in 2025, the highest level on record, while reported fraud losses in 2024 totaled $12.5 billion. The FBI’s 2024 Internet Crime Report found that IC3 received 859,532 complaints with losses exceeding $16.6 billion, including more than $6.5 billion in cryptocurrency-related investment fraud losses.
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