The U.S. Treasury recently announced that its fraud prevention programs have been effectively implemented throughout 2026, resulting in significant protection of taxpayer funds.
On Monday, the Treasury Department revealed that it had reviewed over 1.1 billion federal payments amounting to $3.7 trillion and discovered 13,500 fraudulent transactions worth $175 million that would have gone to deceased individuals, according to a press release issued on Tuesday.
“Treasury is changing the way the federal government safeguards taxpayer dollars by leveraging better data, enhanced control measures, and advanced technology to prevent fraud before payments are made,” stated Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in the release. “Over the past year, new safeguards have been developed and launched.”
He further added, “We are moving away from a ‘pay and chase’ approach, positioning prevention as the primary strategy for the federal government.”
This heightened focus on preventing fraudulent payments follows the U.S. General Services Administration’s announcement in August about substantial suspected fraud, which came just a month after the Department of Justice revealed significant fraud in SNAP benefits across the southern states, as initially reported by the Daily Caller.
To enhance fraud prevention efforts, the Treasury has connected with nine additional data sources under its “Do Not Pay” program and has introduced a new government-wide payment verification process, as detailed in a July press release from the agency.
The Do Not Pay initiative employs various data sources to evaluate risks related to fraud, such as risks of death, debt, identity and banking issues, incarceration, and more, according to the Treasury Department’s website. A Data Correction system is also in place to monitor various records like death, delinquent debts, and disallowed entities.
Through this program, the government screened and analyzed 2.3 billion records utilizing the Public Assistance Reporting Information System (PARIS), as per the Monday press release.
The implementation of these measures aligns with President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14249 from March 2025, aimed at “Protecting America’s Bank Account Against Fraud, Waste, and Abuse.”
