[{"_1":2,"_124":-5,"_125":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100,112],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6650131,"mediaKeyId","2510668-ac813dc19fc145081efb33fd617ad525","parentId",2510668,"title","Advocates and former bankers urge central reporting, mandate controls and look to Australia and UK for models to stop scams at source","audioSeconds",668,"startMs",5470000,"endMs",6138000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2510668-ac813dc19fc145081efb33fd617ad525&start=5470&end=6138","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2510668-ac813dc19fc145081efb33fd617ad525/thumbnail_5470000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6650131/California/Advocates-and-former-bankers-urge-central-reporting-mandate-controls-and-look-to-Australia-and-UK-for-models-to-stop-scams-at-source","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6650131-7cb76546811c36fbc0440489f640d2a1/orig.mp4?Expires=1775204513&Signature=loD8uiaAJSp96TOcscH0bt7aZdrpiHROUanjCS0w164Vp1HqJGbhjgmK3z8ggnkXrgWZ93cEFq2kveumzNdz7hcrAao0AeCT-95rBI-Qh6HqyUcW9N4InJyFqRwhHoouz34pThUFsela94HbUF4y0vhyUP4Uyu4WXHu6UNe86h1YJEyROPNFktjfoxYw6wxfjV-MsqJ6zQQ6~oa60Kin~kii5S5wahyXZ-9nmxb2Cbhj7zkWDQhcjHgK49~ipHCTg~p5bGsdTUyLWIT32F5WZ1jWbm-IOoiGf2DKl94LYqYWbxzqhm2VuQhyaCqbGihoXUyAwSNEfC6qU5bdLW5U~g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","California State Senate","date","2025-03-05T00:00:00Z","article","Ken Westbrook of the Stop Scams Alliance and Ken Pala, a former online‑security director for MUFG Union Bank, told the Senate committee California could reduce scam losses by centralizing reporting, requiring bank anti‑scam controls and emulating international measures.

Westbrook said a central repository into which financial institutions report fraud—capturing data such as device identifiers, IP addresses, sender/receiver information and transaction details—would be a \"game changer\" for near‑real‑time trend detection and law enforcement follow‑up. He cited national anti‑scam centers abroad and argued the U.S. lacks a similar, centralized capacity. \"It would be a game changer if financial institutions in The US were able to report fraud to a central repository accessible by law enforcement authorities and financial institutions,\" Westbrook said.

He also presented international examples: Australia’s removal of malicious websites and a government‑facilitated allow‑list for legitimate financial advertisers, Britain’s large‑scale takedowns by GCHQ and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission’s removal of fake investment sites—steps Westbrook credited with measurable reductions in some scam categories.

Ken Pala urged banks to inventory scam losses for a minimum 90‑day period, create executive‑level scam prevention strategies, and deploy controls across the payment lifecycle. Using a \"left‑of‑boom / boom / right‑of‑boom\" framework, Pala recommended left‑of‑boom measures such as confirmation of payee, behavioral biometrics, transaction anomaly detection and stricter account opening controls; at boom time banks should provide real‑time warnings and have fraud teams intervene; right‑of‑boom actions include recall attempts and encouraging victims to report to law enforcement and IC3.

Both witnesses pointed to regulatory regimes in the UK and Australia that require or incentivize banks, telcos and platforms to implement anti‑scam rules; Westbrook noted Australia reported a decline in some scam losses after systematic takedowns and ad authentication steps.

They urged California policymakers to consider pilot programs for a central reporting repository, fund local task‑force replication, require stronger bank controls and work with tech companies on large‑scale removal of malicious online infrastructure.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Banking and Financial Institutions Committee","oneSentenceSummary","Witnesses from Stop Scams Alliance and former bank security leaders recommended a central repository for fraud reports, government‑level takedown of malicious URLs and mandatory bank controls; they cited Australia, the UK and Singapore as examples where coordinated action reduced reported losses.","taxTitle","California State Senate, Senate, Legislative, California","taxId",77650,"location","California","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6650135,"Consumer law expert: state updates needed as banks, wires and crypto leave victims with little recourse",449,1151000,1600000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2510668-ac813dc19fc145081efb33fd617ad525&start=1151&end=1600","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2510668-ac813dc19fc145081efb33fd617ad525/thumbnail_1151000.jpg","/articles/6650135/California/Consumer-law-expert-state-updates-needed-as-banks-wires-and-crypto-leave-victims-with-little-recourse","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6650135-f0227d3ec6114ac1e3ff33ae0cde4a81/orig.mp4?Expires=1775204513&Signature=ZvF-spwhsjYBGoWjcpEhBy5mHH1A1phwiefX1HcEtJ1~fXYlUxcBTsW0PXOiXLQ7Jn2Q1srFJG7oFxBnfk6LyBjXJoJynISjEjo21v0WqxMx3U1al-MF3poVG0XblcDF8xJ-hvbszc9efA4eQ3rM3lKKQr1iVK9f9GJBO4KaIbmWPJhWLLzG4jlkeusYeJpW2jlN67pWOCFevg6pUU~KYJJNdVnMFKQkoNFot~FADOux1MC9zeKzFPNL1gbxwp0CwqGSgdiQtPXWyV55JNm43QW9GsezUkMT0tscHft0oFdWqpSXyu5BH64tvTZYGbIlY12GgQlKzXNPong4RbG63w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Carla Sanchez Adams of the National Consumer Law Center told the Senate committee that payment fraud falls into two legal buckets—unauthorized transfers, which federal law can sometimes protect, and fraudulently induced transfers, where the victim was tricked into making the payment.

\"Payment fraud can be sorted into two buckets, unauthorized and fraudulently induced,\" Sanchez Adams said. She explained that protections under the Electronic Fund Transfer Act and the Truth in Lending Act help victims of unauthorized electronic transfers and credit‑card fraud, but do not reliably cover bank‑to‑bank wire transfers, altered checks or cryptocurrency payments where state law and account agreements leave victims with weaker remedies.

Sanchez Adams told the committee that California’s adoption of the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) currently allows liability to be pushed onto victims if banks relied on a \"commercially reasonable\" security procedure in account agreements, leaving victims to pursue costly litigation. She also cited practical limits on cancelling wire transfers and pointed to the difficulty of recovering funds sent to crypto accounts.

Her recommendations included updating antiquated rules in the UCC to reflect modern, faster payment systems; requiring receiving institutions to bear more responsibility when they allow fraudsters to open accounts and receive fraudulent payments; improving protections so victims’ accounts are not frozen or closed when they report fraud; and gathering state‑level data from regulated entities on the prevalence of fraud and how disputes are resolved.

Sanchez Adams urged state action in the current policy vacuum and said many victims are left with no practical remedy. \"If the payment method utilized to perpetrate the fraud is an unauthorized bank to bank wire transfer, a fraud victim's bank will often notify the victim they're still responsible for the fraudulent payment,\" she said.","Carla Sanchez Adams of the National Consumer Law Center told a California Senate committee that federal protections cover some payment methods but not bank wires, many crypto payments or fraudulently induced transfers; she urged state action to modernize laws and require greater responsibility from receiving institutions.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6650143,"Telecom, tech and banks push national strategy, information sharing and tech solutions to curb scams",1584,2510000,4094000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2510668-ac813dc19fc145081efb33fd617ad525&start=2510&end=4094","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2510668-ac813dc19fc145081efb33fd617ad525/thumbnail_2510000.jpg","/articles/6650143/California/Telecom-tech-and-banks-push-national-strategy-information-sharing-and-tech-solutions-to-curb-scams","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6650143-cd9d86a5f3f0e146b56f373688b373e8/orig.mp4?Expires=1775204513&Signature=A8gwqupeSwiR8LG9J0U6CIzR-kuAt1FqQvXUOBejohALyShGPVvvRF~qeoqirJj9LjtacQElr9vax6aYYSdMNXUSSnCLKAw4O1Hn4J~suGJb70e2NVGIcXTfhEm0UW7PkGAe-0eUQQuO9f9H97ITqHNU2Pjd4lXnq15GuOhRcVUyDdPmbAWxc~J7~tQtZ5uxlYzzmbVbN3JtCUjH8A4pChIh-dLOhYJRuXBnsndfZlNJlA-nRF-zZ5U~sTvdkx879uFjhyC69rN8uaZJl2oGF~c25pJr8QzcsukwIPVIbWZsh23IcBHZZyPypUByh6fzU~JZOBqo~gKHT4~vfVtkxQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representatives of the telecommunications, technology and financial sectors told the California State Senate committee they are investing in tools to detect and block scam activity but said broader coordination and policy changes are needed.

Josh Bercue, senior vice president for policy at USTelecom and executive director of the Industry Traceback Group, described industry efforts such as Traceback analyses and call authentication frameworks (STIR/SHAKEN). He said robocalls are down from peak levels but criminals have adapted, using shell providers and SIM‑box routing to obscure call origin. \"For every new defense, whether technical measures or regulations, criminals find their workarounds,\" Bercue said, and called for a national strategy and a central coordinator to scale successful work.

Sean Farrell of Microsoft's Digital Crimes Unit described technical and information‑sharing efforts and offered to follow up on individual victim cases. He told the committee Microsoft processes massive telemetry and threat data and has developed browser protections to flag scareware pop‑ups similar to the tech‑support scam described in the hearing. \"We receive about 78,000,000,000,000 security signals per day,\" Farrell said, and stressed stronger public‑private data sharing and clarity about legal authorities to exchange threat information.

Dylan Hoffman of TechNet said online platforms use automated account‑behavior signals, user education and enforcement to block malicious accounts and urged more formal cross‑platform information sharing. Darius Kingsley of JPMorgan Chase described bank prevention steps, branch education for seniors and participation in the Aspen Institute National Task Force on Fraud and Scam Prevention, a private‑sector effort that aims to release a unified national strategy by the end of 2025.

Industry witnesses repeatedly urged stronger cross‑border enforcement, clearer information‑sharing authorities, a centralized strategy and scaling existing technical measures that work today.","Industry witnesses told the California Senate committee that existing traceback efforts, call authentication and private‑public partnerships help, but criminals adapt quickly; companies urged a national strategy, scaled information sharing and stronger cross‑border enforcement.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6650146,"Secret Service and San Diego prosecutors describe large, transnational scam networks; urge statewide coordination",4156,643000,4799000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2510668-ac813dc19fc145081efb33fd617ad525&start=643&end=4799","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2510668-ac813dc19fc145081efb33fd617ad525/thumbnail_643000.jpg","/articles/6650146/California/Secret-Service-and-San-Diego-prosecutors-describe-large-transnational-scam-networks-urge-statewide-coordination","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6650146-10999b29332e1162b47e29f6d1b0a87f/orig.mp4?Expires=1775204513&Signature=G7Y8gI2NJEQ~6hkbKVbYAbLo73gCuowrHA0VLseGD3fbxX4ndY-UAOvTwOC7tS9ybXxMlPnuMSsvZt97M39ig9KdsqlOcpQlN7jW98WiooXizh6xYtRfUXpnoJhOa0tps7C6uPEqjFHzSaH178xXae15RLjG2GKJZatviwYvjfB3C328Xenry4LYoxQ-7F-LRfkuZPV7M4u~S4gaErtMYLqR93LZItaAq7KOLe4ZacKWg7876zO9tDLx8fqK8pfXU~nFSWa9Vt3TOfrKMEY7QxCtcRYyR9CFZelBjRrrHKiH1OcOGMJNBXkvrS-riTQIin6HYUoSTaE0mrcGSleviQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Special Agent in Charge Sean Bradstreet of the U.S. Secret Service’s San Francisco Field Office and Deputy District Attorney Scott Perello of the San Diego District Attorney’s Office told the California State Senate committee that scams are run by organized, transnational networks and cause large monetary losses to Californians.

Bradstreet said his office receives one to two calls daily with similar scams and estimated an average reported loss of about $400,000 per victim for cases reaching his field office. \"Our average loss out of our office is probably 400,000 per victim,\" he told the panel. He said the Secret Service and partner teams have seized substantial sums: \"our local office over the last year seized $27,000,000 just in digital assets.\" He also displayed a graph his office pulled showing California losses of roughly $2,500,000,000 in the last year, a figure he called conservative because many incidents go unreported.

Bradstreet described overseas \"scam camps\" that produce coordinated operations, showed images of large compounds in Southeast Asia and explained techniques such as fictitious websites and sideloaded apps that give scammers read/write access to victims’ devices.

Perello, who leads the San Diego Elder Justice Task Force (EJTF), said local coordination of law enforcement, adult protective services and federal partners lets investigators identify couriers and money‑movement networks operating inside California. \"When we start investigating [couriers], we learn that the same couriers are showing up on ring doorbells in Ventura County, in Placer County, in Santa Barbara, and Riverside,\" Perello said. He described San Diego's practice of cross‑referencing local police reports, IC3 complaints and Adult Protective Services referrals to build daily situational awareness and to pursue prosecutions and recoveries.

Perello urged California to scale the model statewide and to provide dedicated funding for investigators, analysts and APS workers. \"We are disrupting the elder fraud and money laundering networks that are here operating in California and throughout The United States,\" he said, and added that counties across California want to replicate the task force but lack resources.

Both witnesses framed the schemes as large‑scale criminal enterprises that shift tactics rapidly and require sustained, multiagency responses.","Special Agent Sean Bradstreet and San Diego Deputy District Attorney Scott Perello told a California Senate committee that transnational scam camps and domestic courier networks funnel billions out of the state, and called for more resources and coordinated reporting to disrupt operations.",{"_33":113,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":114,"_41":115,"_43":116,"_45":117,"_47":118,"_49":119,"_51":120,"_53":121,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":122,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":123,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6650151,"Oxnard resident tells California Senate she lost life savings to tech-support scam, urges banking and tax changes",414,206000,620000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2510668-ac813dc19fc145081efb33fd617ad525&start=206&end=620","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2510668-ac813dc19fc145081efb33fd617ad525/thumbnail_206000.jpg","/articles/6650151/California/Oxnard-resident-tells-California-Senate-she-lost-life-savings-to-tech-support-scam-urges-banking-and-tax-changes","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6650151-efb4b677f81f9da1e1344707ce535d11/orig.mp4?Expires=1775204513&Signature=jmtNQe9l-vXhDQDy5V6w9ezILWft30D3gL2u0UdI8UXyrruIWb6h8N5UxFmBV5Jf7ps2QH7dHeQnMQc4MYcuXUZ3HfnzGmacSI4C~5EbuXIi2Inw0kBZyoQ3JqaZTZ7WjBka7YhC2cJAHElVA7AQ19J3b9xEGU4d6ICPOlHy9Vrxb9X17r7PXcsPCMNj-921myGs-Bs62WpjbekKUL8lUweHWB~8VyDp~Q77yNe5MhcGv8Fj64b3ENphuHL50Xv1PPbw4JxlPuuevOsPIbbplkOUkjhqqIAYGUTf1pDbIig~EMlcBZM2JzP-lHxiLNHlLDrLyjfCn5mIvD4VBo-fJg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Lynn Knox, a 72-year-old Oxnard resident, told the California State Senate Committee on Banking and Financial Institutions that a tech‑support scam cost her nearly all of her retirement savings and left her emotionally devastated.

Knox told the committee she first saw a pop‑up on her home computer warning that her device had been compromised and was instructed to call a number posted on the alert. \"I was getting ready to retire, spend time with my family, and travel. I was working in my home computer and suddenly received a pop up message followed by loud sounds and flashing warning me that my computer had been compromised,\" she said. The callers told her she was under investigation and needed to transfer cash and buy gold to protect accounts.

The testimony described a sequence of instructions Knox said she followed over about 10 weeks: remote‑access software installation, multiple cash withdrawals, seven arranged gold purchases, and courier pick‑ups. \"I was instructed to go immediately to the bank, withdraw my cash, and take a picture of my withdrawal slip and send it to Albert,\" Knox said, using the name the scammer gave her. She said couriers took the packaged cash and gold and later stopped responding.

Knox said she depleted a 401(k), an IRA trust fund and a personal pension plan. She told the committee she reported the crime to Citibank, the Oxnard Police Department, the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), the FTC and the Ventura County district attorney.

In her testimony Knox proposed specific state steps: require banks and financial institutions to annually recommend customers add a trusted contact on accounts, improve withdrawal tracking and flagging, impose a three‑day hold on accounts showing suspicious activity, hold gold dealers to fiduciary standards comparable to banks, and allow a state tax deduction for scam losses (she referenced the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 as making federal relief unavailable).

Chair Senator Grayson thanked Knox for testifying and invited her to stay for questions from the panel.

Knox told the committee she is sharing her story to warn others and urged lawmakers to act: \"I look to you and others in our state government to take immediate steps to provide remedies which will help protect me and the many others in California that are victims of these terrible scams.\"","Lynn Knox told the California State Senate committee she withdrew cash, sold retirement assets and bought gold at scammers' direction after a tech-support pop-up; she urged requirements for trusted contacts, stronger withdrawal flags, three-day holds and a state tax deduction for victims.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Advocates and former bankers urge central reporting, mandate controls and look to Australia and UK for models to stop scams at source

Consumer law expert: state updates needed as banks, wires and crypto leave victims with little recourse

Telecom, tech and banks push national strategy, information sharing and tech solutions to curb scams

Secret Service and San Diego prosecutors describe large, transnational scam networks; urge statewide coordination

Oxnard resident tells California Senate she lost life savings to tech-support scam, urges banking and tax changes