Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview posted Friday that the department has received “more than 700” tips related to fraud and warned suspected fraudsters that “they should know we are coming for them.”
The interview, posted by independent journalist Nick Shirley, gained traction online as the Trump administration continues to elevate its anti-fraud message and promote whistleblower reporting tied to illicit financial activity.
🚨 Fraudsters literally looted $250-500 BILLION a year from taxpayers for years, now changes are being made to prevent this fraud:
– Treasury is now going after the banks
– Whistleblowers can make 30% for exposing fraud
– Auto dealers will be tracked downEND ALL THE FRAUD. pic.twitter.com/3Tc59Fgqdn
— Nick shirley (@nickshirleyy) April 10, 2026
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, on March 30 submitted a proposed rule to fully implement a whistleblower program. The rule would offer awards of 10% to 30% of collected monetary penalties for individuals whose information leads to successful enforcement actions by Treasury or the Department of Justice. FinCEN said the program was already codified in prior law and is currently accepting tips.
Treasury has also launched a “Whistleblowing and Financial Integrity” page encouraging the public to report suspected fraud, money laundering, sanctions violations, and tax-law violations. The department says whistleblowers help protect taxpayer dollars and the integrity of the U.S. financial system.
Bessent’s remarks fit into a broader administration-wide push on fraud. As previously reported by The Dallas Express, President Donald Trump earlier this month said Vice President JD Vance would serve as the administration’s lead figure on anti-fraud efforts, branding him the “Fraud Czar” as the White House escalated its focus on waste, fraud, and abuse.
The scale of the issue is significant. In a 2024 report, the Government Accountability Office estimated that the federal government lost between $233 billion and $521 billion annually to fraud based on data from fiscal years 2018 through 2022.
The interview has now pushed that anti-fraud message to a wider audience, with Bessent pairing Treasury’s whistleblower effort with a blunt warning to suspected fraudsters: “They should know we are coming for them.”
