SF Launches Nation's First Citywide Anti-Scam Program With $3M JPMorgan Chase Grant

San Francisco unveiled StopScams SF, a first-of-its-kind coordinated municipal anti-scam program backed by a $3 million philanthropic grant from JPMorgan Chase. With FBI data showing government-impersonation scams up 87% last year and Americans losing $158 billion annually to fraud, the initiative positions the city as a national testing ground for how local government can fight back.

• City launches StopScams SF, the country's first coordinated municipal anti-scam program, led by the Treasurer's Office with $3 million from JPMorgan Chase

• Retired professor shares how he lost $30,000 to an organized scam ring to destigmatize reporting and underscore the sophistication of criminal networks

• City Attorney pledges enforcement action against repeat and sophisticated scammers, citing a $1 million judgment against government impersonators

• New scam emerges targeting families of incarcerated people in San Francisco and Alameda County, announced the same morning as the program launch

Why it matters: Scams are no longer just nuisance calls. They are a growing public safety crisis that drains savings accounts, destabilizes families, and disproportionately targets seniors, immigrants, and young adults encountering financial systems for the first time. No American city has previously assembled a coordinated municipal response.