President Donald J. Trump and Vice President JD Vance are aggressively shutting down the waste, fraud, and abuse that has drained billions from American taxpayers. As head of the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, Vice President Vance this week called on officials at every level of government to join him in a pledge to protect vulnerable Americans, keep taxpayer-funded benefits for Americans only, stop fraud before the money goes out, and hold fraudsters accountable.
From the Cabinet to the states to Congress, officials are lining up behind the pledge:
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth: “The War Department is waging war against waste, fraud, and abuse. Proud to stand alongside @POTUS, @VP, and @WHFraudTF.”
Attorney General Todd Blanche: “I’m proud to stand with @POTUS Trump and @VP Vance in the fight against fraud. At @TheJusticeDept, we are committed to investigating…
Identity theft is the “foundational” fraud upon which many other crimes are built. It involves the unauthorized acquisition and use of a person’s personal identifying information (PII), such as an ID number, Social Security number, or passport details.
- How it works: Fraudsters obtain PII through data breaches, mail theft, or “social engineering” (tricking people into revealing details). Once they have this data, they can open new bank accounts, apply for credit cards or loans, and even receive medical treatment under your name.
- Synthetic Identity Fraud: A sophisticated variation where criminals combine real and fabricated information to create a completely new, “synthetic” person. This is particularly difficult to detect because there is no single victim to report the suspicious activity initially.