- With losses hitting $406 million a day, 30+ groups launch United to Stop Online Scams with a National Day of Action livestream and events in seven states.
- New Motion Picture & Television Fund PSA featuring scam survivor Kate Kleinert debuts
- Coalition letter calls on Congress to shift the burden from consumers to platforms
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — While tech leaders warn AI could someday threaten humanity, online scams turbocharged by AI are draining Americans’ savings today. United to Stop Online Scams, a new coalition of consumer, older adult, and tech accountability groups, says it’s time to hold the platforms accountable.
The kickoff livestream, viewed by over 20,000 Americans, featured scam survivor Kate Kleinert, Senator Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Representative Valerie Foushee (D-N.C.), California Business and Consumer Services Secretary Rohit Chopra, and consumer policy experts.
Americans lost an estimated $148.2 billion nationally in 2025, an average of $406 million a day, to online scams and crimes in 2025, according to the Consumer Federation of America. The FBI reported that losses for Americans 60 and over rose 59%, averaging $38,500 per complaint.
The broader call for action is closely aligned with StopScamsTogether.org, the Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF) initiative in partnership with the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), including a PSA featuring Kleinert, which demonstrates how AI voice cloning and deepfake video can make deception more convincing and harder to detect (video clips and shareable graphics here).
“So many of us scam survivors carry so much shame,” said Kleinert, a Pennsylvania widow who lost $39,000 to a Facebook romance scammer. “I am here to tell you: It is not on you. It is on them. Meta and the AI companies are counting on survivors being quiet. We can’t be.”
“AI is making scams more sophisticated, and older Americans are particularly vulnerable, losing hard-earned retirement savings to criminals online,” said Senator Kelly. “Older Americans shouldn’t be an afterthought as this technology evolves. I’ll keep fighting to keep them safe.”
More than 30 organizations signed a letter to Congress urging lawmakers to examine how platforms profit from scams and to make fraud prevention a legal obligation rather than a voluntary one.
Coalition members, policy priorities and more at: https://unitedtostoponlinescams.org/
Share the video at https://vimeo.com/showcase/12429229
Contact:
Dave Anderson
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dave@strategicstorytellers.co
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SOURCE MPTF
