WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), John Boozman (R-AR), and Angus King (I-ME) today introduced their Veterans Scam and Fraud Evasion (VSAFE) Act, which would establish a Veterans Scam and Fraud Evasion Officer at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to assist with fraud and scam prevention, reporting, and incident response plans:

“Texas is proudly home to more veterans than any other state, and it is imperative that we do everything in our power to protect our nation’s heroes from predatory scams,” said Sen. Cornyn. “I am proud to introduce legislation that will combat this growing threat by creating a dedicated officer at the VA responsible for preventing and reporting fraud schemes that target veterans.”

“We owe veterans a debt that we will never be able to repay, but we must work every day to ensure that they have the support that they need and deserve,” said Sen. Hassan. “This bipartisan legislation will help veterans by ensuring the VA has a centralized and coordinated effort under the leadership of an officer solely dedicated to preventing and responding to fraud and scams that target our nation’s heroes.” 

“With scammers increasingly targeting our veterans, we should ensure they have advocates in their corner helping them avoid or mitigate any potential harm and providing helpful resources to fight back,” said Sen. Boozman. “I’m proud to join Sen. Cornyn on this legislation to protect those who have worn our nation’s uniform from fraud and the senseless havoc it causes.”

“Veterans in Maine and across the country gave their best while protecting our nation and they deserve to be looked out for in their civilian lives,” said Sen. King. “We owe it to the men and women who served to ensure they have the resources to protect themselves from predatory scams and bad actors preying on vulnerabilities. The bipartisan Veterans Scam and Fraud Evasion (VSAFE) Act will help mitigate future threats to their income and credit by establishing a special office within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to better combat fraud and scams. It’s a simple way to keep true to our promise to care for our veterans.”

Congressman Ken Calvert (CA-41) introduced this legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Background:

In 2023, American veterans and military retirees reported $350 million in total fraud losses, according to a Federal Trade Commission report. The VSAFE Act would establish a Veterans Scam and Fraud Evasion Officer to be responsible for fraud and scam prevention, reporting, and incident response plans at the VA and serve as a central point of contact to direct veterans to resources to prevent and mitigate fraud and scams. 

The VA currently has resources, including a hotline and website, to help prevent veteran fraud and scams, and this bill would establish and codify the position and provide greater communication within the VA and to victims, as well as enhance interagency coordination to identify, mitigate, and respond to scams.