U.S. Congress legislation · 119th Congress
HB10495: CATFISH Act of 2026
Status: In committee, September 17, 2026
To amend title 18, United States Code, to establish enhanced penalties for certain frauds, and for other purposes.
What the bill says
To amend title 18, United States Code, to establish enhanced penalties for certain frauds, and for other purposes.
From the introduced text, September 17, 2026:
A BILL To amend title 18, United States Code, to establish enhanced penalties for certain frauds, and for other purposes. SECTION 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Combating Abusive Tactics, Fraud, and Impersonation Scams Harming Seniors Act of 2026 or the CATFISH Act of 2026 . SECTION 2. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) The senior citizens of the United States have spent lifetimes earning the retirement they now live in. The savings, home equity, and Social Security and Medicare benefits that sustain older Americans represent decades of labor, discipline, and deferred reward--hard-won property that should not become a target of opportunity for international criminal syndicates or for the domestic fraud ecosystem that feeds them. (2) According to the Federal Trade Commission, Americans aged 60 and over reported losing approximately $2,400,000,000 to fraud in 2024, a fourfold increase from the approximately $600,000,000 reported in 2020. (3) The Federal Trade Commission further estimates that, accounting for chronic underreporting, the true annual losses sustained by older Americans may reach as high as $81,500,000,000--losses that largely represent retirement savings, home equity, and inheritances that can never be recovered. (4) Individual losses exceeding $100,000--often driven by romance fraud, investment fraud, and government-impersonation schemes--account for 68 percent of all dollars reported lost by older Americans, confirming that the fraud crisis facing …
Sponsors
- Abraham Hamadeh (R, HD-AZ-8) · primary sponsor
Latest actions
- : Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Financial Services, and Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- : Introduced in House
Subjects: Crime and Law Enforcement
Common questions
- What is HB10495?
- HB10495 is a bill in Congress (119th Congress): CATFISH Act of 2026.
- What does HB10495 do?
- In its own words: To amend title 18, United States Code, to establish enhanced penalties for certain frauds, and for other purposes.
- What is the status of HB10495?
- In committee as of September 17, 2026. Latest action: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Financial Services, and Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. (September 17, 2026).
- Who sponsored HB10495?
- Abraham Hamadeh (R, HD-AZ-8).
- Where is the official record for HB10495?
- On the Congress website: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/10495
Source: official Congress record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.