Fraudsters accused of ripping off America’s grandparents face new crackdown under GOP bill

FIRST ON FOX: Florida Republican Sen. Ashley Moody introduced two bills that would follow the Trump administration's crackdown on fraud, waste, and abuse to protect America’s youngest and oldest, Fox News Digital has learned.

"I’ve fought fraud since my days as Attorney General, and I’ve continued that fight as a Senator. Serving as an [attorney general] gave me an awareness of the pervasiveness of schemes and emboldened my determination to hold scammers accountable," Sen. Moody told Fox News Digital. "It also opened my eyes to where gaps exist between state and federal law enforcement. I’m closing that divide, and introducing targeted legislation to address holes within current law that make it easier for bad actors to exploit vulnerable citizens and programs."

The proposals follow a growing focus in Washington on combating fraud as the Trump administration moves to strengthen oversight of federal spending and public assistance programs. Moody's two bills would strengthen safeguards against fraud in childcare programs and help law enforcement authorities go after scammers who prey on seniors.

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The Stop Child Scams Act aims to strengthen oversight of federal childcare programs by requiring states to improve program integrity measures, submit corrective action plans if payment error rates exceed 5%, and increase federal monitoring of high-risk states.

The bill would require states to detail internal controls, fraud-investigation and recovery processes, sanctions for fraudulent clients or providers, and procedures to verify eligibility.

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It also permanently bars individuals convicted of childcare fraud from participating in certain federal childcare programs.

The push comes amid heightened focus on large-scale fraud cases, including Minnesota’s $250 million "Feeding Our Future" scheme, which became a national flashpoint after surfacing in 2022 and has led to a wave of convictions in recent years.

Federal agents issued search warrants at various day care and autism centers in Minnesota last month to investigate "fake" facilities allegedly taking federal money.

Moody also introduced a second fraud bill, STOP Scams Against Seniors Act, which would help states create elder justice task forces to coordinate investigations into financial exploitation, scams and fraud targeting Americans age 60 and older.

The bill incentivizes states to go after fraudsters through federal grant money to establish task forces.

The task forces would coordinate closely with state and local police departments, the FBI, the Department of Justice, and other federal law enforcement agencies.

The program also requires reporting on the number of cases opened and completed, the number of victims assisted, the types of scams identified, the methods used to contact victims, and any indicators of organized or transnational criminal involvement.