Google, FBI partnering on lawsuit against major criminal scam syndicate in China
Google endorsing Harder’s Stop SCAMS Act to create all-of-government response to organized cybercrime
By Kevin Winslow, Communications Director, Office of Congressman Josh Harder
WASHINGTON – On Monday, June 15, 2026, Rep. Josh Harder (D, CA-09) announced that his anti-scam advocacy led to a major coordinated crackdown on international scammers. Google, major tech companies, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced a lawsuit today against the China-linked cybercriminal network “Outsider Enterprise” alongside Google’s endorsement of Harder’s “Stop Schemes, Cyberfraud, Abuse, Manipulation, and Swindles Act” or Stop SCAMS Act, H.R. 7215, which would establish a government-wide task force to respond to cyberscams.
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.”
“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 for championing this vital consumer protection.”
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.
Harder represents California’s 9th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. The new district boundaries under Prop 50 will include Antioch and other portions of Eastern Contra Costa County following the November election.
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