S-2544 — GUARD Act | YourVoice.Now

YourVoice.Now Summary

Criminal Justice & Due ProcessWorkers & JobsCivil LibertiesCorporate BenefitsTransparency & Accountability

Lets local police use grant money they already get to chase crypto scams and elder fraud.

Criminal Justice & Due Process

Police work on scams and elder fraud — funded by existing grants

Police departments that get certain federal crime grants could spend that money on fraud cases. The bill adds no new funding, so agencies would shift money they already have.

Workers & Jobs

Fraud investigator jobs at police departments — grants can pay salaries

The grant money could pay to hire and keep analysts, agents, and other experts. It could also pay for training in complex money-crime cases.

Civil Liberties

Privacy of crypto payments — federal agents help local police trace them

Federal agents could help local police use tools that trace crypto payments. The same help goes to fusion centers, which are state offices that share crime tips.

Privacy of bank customer information — police liaison set up for sharing

Grant money could pay for a staff member whose job is to trade fraud information with banks. The bill does not change the privacy rules banks follow today.

Corporate Benefits

Sales for crypto-tracing software companies — grants can buy tools

Grants could pay for software and technical tools used in fraud cases, including tools that follow crypto payments. The bill names no company and sets aside no money for one.

Transparency & Accountability

Government tally of scam losses nationwide — due within two years

Treasury and FinCEN would have to count how many scams happen each year, and how much money people lose. A shorter report is due a year after the bill becomes law.

Public comment on the scam report — consumers get a say

Before it finishes that report, Treasury has to ask for public comments. It would hear from people who were scammed, from banks, phone companies, and social media firms.

Report on what nine agencies spend fighting scams

The same report would list what nine agencies set aside and spent on scams. They include the FBI, the FTC, and the Social Security Administration.

Yearly reports to Congress on grant spending and results

Agencies that hand out the grants would report each year to four committees in Congress. Police that used the money must first tell them what they spent and what changed.

More about this bill

If you or an older relative loses money to a scam, local police could get more help chasing it. Police that already get certain federal crime grants could spend that money on fraud cases. That covers hiring fraud staff, buying software that follows crypto payments, and training officers. Federal agents could also help local police and state fusion centers trace those payments. The bill adds no new money. It widens what four grant programs are allowed to pay for. Treasury and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN, which tracks money crimes) would owe Congress two reports. The bigger one is due in two years. It would count how many people get scammed each year, and how much they lose. Treasury would have to ask the public for comment first.

Congressional Summary

Guarding Unprotected Aging Retirees from Deception Act or the GUARD ActThis bill allows state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies and grantees that receive funds from certain law enforcement grant programs to use the funds to investigate general financial fraud, elder financial fraud, and pig butchering. Pig butchering refers to a confidence and investment fraud in which a victim is gradually lured into transferring increasing amounts of money, generally in the form of cryptocurrency, into a fake virtual investment. The bill allows federal law enforcement agencies to assist state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies and fusion centers in the use of tracing tools for blockchain and related technology tools.Finally, the bill requires the Department of the Treasury and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) to report on efforts and recommendations related to general financial fraud, elder financial fraud, pig butchering, and scams. The bill also requires Treasury and FinCEN to report on the state of scams in the United States, including information about crimes committed, federal civil and criminal enforcement actions, and federal efforts to address the crimes.

Legislative Subjects

Advanced technology and technological innovationsCongressional oversightCrime victimsCriminal investigation, prosecution, interrogationEmployee hiringEmployment and training programsFraud offenses and financial crimesGovernment information and archivesIntergovernmental relationsLaw enforcement administration and funding

Details

Congress: 119th
Chamber: Senate
Status: summarized
Action: Reported to Senate
Action Date: 2026-02-09
Date Added: 2026-07-11
Source: Congress.gov →

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