America's veterans deserve better than this.
They served their country with honor, and now they're being hunted by sophisticated criminals.
And veterans are being targeted by one awful Big Tech scam that has Josh Hawley raising hell.
AI-powered criminals are bleeding America's heroes dry
Veterans are getting robbed blind while Big Tech counts its billions.
Scammers discovered they could use artificial intelligence to impersonate the Department of Veterans Affairs in emails so convincing that seniors can't tell they're fake.
Military families reported losses of nearly $200 million from AI-powered scams in 2024 alone.¹
Experts estimate only one in five scams ever gets reported, meaning the real numbers could top $1 billion.
Senator Josh Hawley and Senator Maggie Hassan fired off a letter Thursday to six major AI companies demanding answers.
OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, Google, Microsoft, xAI and Perplexity AI all received 16 specific questions about their anti-scam measures.²
"The federal government has a responsibility to protect the American people from scams, but this effort requires an all-hands-on-deck approach across multiple industries," the senators wrote.³
The FBI reported that suspected scams and cybercrimes cost Americans $16.6 billion in 2024 — a 370% increase from just $3.5 billion in 2019.⁴
Veterans get targeted at twice the rate of regular civilians because criminals know they have guaranteed income streams through benefits and pensions.⁵
The Social Security Administration already warned seniors about similar AI-generated scams targeting their benefits.
Veterans who survived combat zones shouldn't have to worry about getting scammed when they check their email.
Big Tech created the monster and now refuses to control it
A New York man went to prison this year for running a "grandparent scam" that used AI-generated voice clones.
He convinced three New Hampshire families their loved ones were in trouble and stole around $20,000 from them.⁶
The victims heard what sounded exactly like their grandchildren's voices begging for help.
Military families face unique vulnerabilities — 99,000 fraud complaints last year with 43,000 being imposter scams.⁷
"With advancements in AI, scams will continue to grow in sophistication, frequency, and impact. In the early phases of a scam, criminals can use generative AI to quickly identify and then collect details on their targets, enabling them to create tailor-made scams," Hawley and Hassan explained.⁸
The senators called out one especially evil tactic targeting veterans.
Criminals use AI to create fake "VA-approved consultant" schemes where they promise to fast-track benefit applications for a fee.
They charge hundreds or even thousands for services the VA offers completely free.
These vultures target elderly veterans and their widows at senior centers, retirement homes, and even VA facilities with "financial planning seminars."
They convince veterans to restructure their assets into irrevocable trusts or annuities so they appear poor enough to qualify for Aid and Attendance benefits.
The scammers pocket massive commissions while potentially disqualifying veterans from the very benefits they were promised.
The AI companies claim they prohibit using their programs to generate scams.
But scammers bypass those safeguards in minutes using clever phrasing.
Meta admitted it detected and disrupted close to 8 million accounts associated with scam centers across Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, the United Arab Emirates, and the Philippines just this year.⁹
If Meta alone found 8 million scam accounts, imagine how many they missed.
Global scam losses hit $1 trillion in 2024, and AI-driven fraud now accounts for 42% of all scams.¹⁰
Between May 2024 and April 2025, reports of AI-enabled scams jumped 456%.¹¹
Hawley is demanding Big Tech answer for enabling criminals
Hawley and Hassan gave these companies until January 14 to answer their questions about anti-scam measures, data collection prevention, and law enforcement coordination.
The senators noted that "AI companies, however, have reportedly faced challenges in preventing the misuse of their technology."¹²
Hawley has been leading the charge against Big Tech for years while most of Washington looked the other way.
He introduced the No Section 230 Immunity for AI Act to strip AI companies of the government protections that shield them from accountability.
"Why should these—the biggest, most powerful technology companies in the history of the world—why should they be insulated from accountability when their technology is encouraging people to ruin their relationships, break up their marriages, and commit suicide?" Hawley asked during a Senate hearing.¹³
Big Tech firms are making billions from AI while criminals use the same technology to rob veterans and seniors.
Hawley and Senator Richard Blumenthal introduced the AI Accountability and Personal Data Protection Act to give Americans the right to sue AI companies for stealing their data.
"AI companies are robbing the American people blind while leaving artists, writers, and other creators with zero recourse," Hawley said. "It's time for Congress to give the American worker their day in court to protect their personal data and creative works."¹⁴
The veterans who defended America's freedom overseas shouldn't have to fight for their financial security at home.
But as long as Big Tech prioritizes profits over protecting people, criminals will keep weaponizing AI against the most vulnerable Americans.
Hawley gets it — these tech giants won't police themselves without the threat of real legal consequences.
Veterans risked everything for this country and now Big Tech is letting scammers steal their hard-earned benefits while collecting billions in AI revenue.
That's not just wrong, it's a national disgrace.
¹ "AI scams cost military families $200M in 2024, advocacy group warns," CO/AI, September 3, 2025.
² Tom Howell Jr., "Sens. Josh Hawley, Maggie Hassan tell tech companies to crack down on AI-driven scams," Washington Times, December 11, 2025.
³ Ibid.
⁴ Ibid.
⁵ "Protecting Veteran Families from Benefits Fraud," Operation Family Fund, August 26, 2025.
⁶ Tom Howell Jr., "Sens. Josh Hawley, Maggie Hassan tell tech companies to crack down on AI-driven scams," Washington Times, December 11, 2025.
⁷ "That's not a real soldier: campaign warns troops, families of AI scams," Military Times, September 3, 2025.
⁸ Tom Howell Jr., "Sens. Josh Hawley, Maggie Hassan tell tech companies to crack down on AI-driven scams," Washington Times, December 11, 2025.
⁹ "Cybersecurity Awareness Month: Helping Older Adults Avoid Online Scams," Meta, October 22, 2025.
¹⁰ "7 Fraud & Compliance Predictions for 2025: How AI Will Fight Back Against Scams," Sardine.ai, 2025.
¹¹ "What Are the Top AI Crypto Scams of 2025 and How to Stay Safe?" BingX, November 2025.
¹² Tom Howell Jr., "Sens. Josh Hawley, Maggie Hassan tell tech companies to crack down on AI-driven scams," Washington Times, December 11, 2025.
¹³ "Hawley Calls Out Big Tech Greed, Defends Americans' Right to Protect Themselves from Harmful AI," Josh Hawley Senate Office, July 8, 2024.
¹⁴ "Hawley, Blumenthal Unveil Bipartisan Bill Empowering Working Americans to Sue Big Tech, AI Companies for Stealing Creative Works," Josh Hawley Senate Office, July 22, 2025.
