How to Write/Email to Congress – Every Survivor’s Guide

Why Every Scam Victim and Family Member Should Email Congress Right Now

Scams are not just personal tragedies. They are a national crisis, and one that continues because it remains hidden behind silence, shame, and inaction. If you are a scam victim, survivor, or someone who loves one, you have a powerful voice. One of the most impactful steps you can take in your recovery, and in the fight for justice, is to send a personal message to Congress. This is not just activism. It is an act of healing.

Note: If you do not live in the United States, you can just adapt this for your country’s leadership.

Your Story Matters More Than You Realize

Scam victims often feel dismissed, blamed, or ridiculed by law enforcement, banks, and even by friends and family. This silence becomes a second wound, a deeper, invisible betrayal. Lawmakers will not act unless they understand the human cost. They do not hear from enough victims directly. That is why your voice is urgently needed.

You do not have to be a policy expert or write a perfect letter. You just need to speak the truth: this happened, it caused real damage, and the system failed to protect you or respond appropriately. By doing so, you do more than raise awareness. You become part of a collective push for accountability, resources, and justice.

The Impact: National Awareness and Policy Change

Every letter a member of Congress receives increases the urgency behind legislative and investigative action. These crimes have already affected more than 100 million Americans. Financial losses are now estimated to exceed $3 trillion. But scams are still not taken seriously at the federal level.

The only way that will change is if hundreds of victims speak up together. Lawmakers respond to patterns. When a single issue shows up repeatedly in their inbox, they begin to ask questions, request briefings, and push for hearings. A coordinated effort, just one message from each victim, can create a wave that cannot be ignored.

This is how change begins.

What to Say

If you do not know what to write, you can use the prepared message below. You are also welcome to personalize it. Whether your scam involved romance, investment, impersonation, or a job scheme, the harm was real. You can speak from your experience, or send the message on behalf of someone you care about who has been affected.

If you’re ready now, you can simply copy and paste the message into an email.

Remember, Your Tone Matters

When contacting a member of Congress, how you say something matters just as much as what you say. While the pain, anger, and outrage you feel are completely valid, expressing them through aggressive or hostile language will almost always lead to your message being ignored or dismissed. Lawmakers and their staff receive thousands of emails, and messages that sound confrontational or accusatory are often filtered out before they are ever read. If you want your voice to make an impact, it must be clear, respectful, and compelling.

That is why we strongly recommend using the provided example email template. It communicates urgency and seriousness without hostility, and it includes the facts and emotional realities that Congress must hear. You are not writing to argue, you are writing to be heard. This is your chance to educate, to represent the millions of victims whose stories remain untold, and to push for real change. Use your voice wisely and strategically. When you speak calmly and powerfully, people listen.

Sample Email – Ready to Use

Subject: The Unseen Crisis: Online Scams Are Devastating American Lives and the Economy

Dear [Representative/Senator Last Name],

I am writing to urge your attention to a silent national emergency that is growing unchecked: the epidemic of online scams and cyber-enabled fraud. These crimes now affect tens of millions of Americans each year, inflicting catastrophic emotional, psychological, and financial harm. Recent global estimates suggest that more than 100 million U.S. adults may have been victimized in some form over the past decade, with aggregate financial losses now exceeding $3 trillion, surpassing the annual cost of all forms of traditional crime combined.

Yet this remains a largely invisible crisis.

Scam victims suffer far more than financial loss. These crimes are built on deception, psychological manipulation, and betrayal by criminals posing as romantic partners, government officials, employers, or loved ones. Victims are lured into trust-based relationships that collapse into emotional and financial ruin. The experience is not simply being “tricked”; it is a deep betrayal trauma that undermines the very foundations of trust, identity, and self-worth.

Many victims descend into grief, depression, anxiety, shame, and isolation. The psychological toll mirrors that of abuse survivors or war veterans. Tragically, most victims never recover. Reports from trauma recovery organizations like the SCARS Institute and international advocacy groups confirm that suicide among scam victims is an underreported and growing tragedy. Victims often feel hopeless, humiliated, and dismissed, not just by society, but by the very systems designed to protect them.

Which brings me to one of the most painful aspects of this crisis: institutional betrayal.

When victims reach out for help, whether to local police, banks, the FBI, or FTC, they are frequently met with indifference, blame, or outright dismissal. Many are told, “This happens all the time,” or “There’s nothing we can do.” Such responses compound the trauma and leave victims feeling abandoned by their government. It reinforces a chilling message: trust in systems is as dangerous as trust in strangers.

This crisis also affects the American economy in ways we are only beginning to understand. Hundreds of Billions, or even Trillions of dollars, are stolen and laundered annually through cryptocurrency, money mules, and shell corporations. Scam victims lose retirement savings, homes, or inheritances, leading to long-term dependence on public safety nets. Some become victims of identity theft, blackmail (sextortion), or further exploitation. The damage radiates through families, workplaces, and communities, quietly and continually.

What is needed now is federal leadership. That includes:

• • Elevating cyber-enabled scams as a national threat to financial, emotional, and public health.
  • Expanding funding for victim support, trauma-informed recovery services, and mental health resources.
  • Strengthening law enforcement capabilities across jurisdictions to respond effectively to these crimes.
  • Promoting financial safety education and scam prevention through national awareness campaigns.
  • Establishing accountability frameworks so that no victim is dismissed simply because the crime occurred online.

I respectfully ask you to help champion this issue in Congress. Victims need to know they are seen, heard, and worth protecting. This is not a niche problem. It is a national emergency that deserves the same seriousness as any other form of organized criminal threat.

Thank you for your time and service to our country. I would welcome the opportunity to speak further or provide resources from organizations working directly with victims and law enforcement.

Sincerely,[Your Full Name] [Your City and State] [Your Email Address] [Optional: Title or Affiliation, if applicable] Copy and paste this into your email account and send it to all of your congressmen and congresswomen.

How to Contact Congress

We have made it easier. You can find the full list of U.S. Senators and Representatives with their email addresses and contact forms here:

👉 https://www.congress.gov/members

Search by your ZIP code or state, then visit the member’s official page. Most have an email form or listed office contact.

You can also use this direct resource for finding all members:

👉 https://www.house.gov/representatives

👉 https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm

We encourage you to send your letter to both of your state’s U.S. Senators and to your local House Representative. If possible, also send it to members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability. These committees handle cybercrime, justice, and financial protection.

Why It’s Emotionally Important for You

Sending this message is more than political action; it is emotional empowerment.

When you send this letter, you affirm that what happened to you matters. You take back a piece of control. You interrupt the silence and stand in truth. For many survivors, this is a turning point in their recovery. It shifts the focus from helplessness to purpose.

You are no longer just a victim. You are a witness.

You speak not just for yourself, but for the countless others who are still too ashamed or afraid to speak at all. You represent every person who was manipulated, every person who was laughed at, and every person who was told it was their fault.

You become part of a movement to make sure it does not happen to others.

This Only Works If You Do It

Scammers will not stop. They evolve. They expand. They profit because there are no serious consequences and no systemic response. This will only change when enough people demand that change. That includes you.

If you are reading this, you already know the pain. Whether it happened to you or someone you love, the damage runs deep. Now imagine that pain multiplied across tens of millions of lives, and largely ignored by the people in power. That silence must end. Your letter is one small step in that process.

Send it. Share it. Encourage others to do the same.

You have a right to be heard. You have a duty to protect others. You have a story that matters.

Glossary

• Accountability frameworks: Systems or policies that ensure institutions and individuals are held responsible for how they respond to scam victims and cybercrime.
• Betrayal trauma: Emotional and psychological harm caused when someone you trusted violates that trust, especially relevant in scams involving relationships, family, or institutions.
• Cyber-enabled scams: Scams carried out using the internet or digital technology, including romance scams, impersonation, job scams, and investment frauds.
• Emotional empowerment: The process of reclaiming personal agency, dignity, and voice after trauma or victimization.
• Federal leadership: National-level government response, including legislation, funding, and agency coordination to address scam-related crime and victim needs.
• Financial safety education: Public education efforts designed to help people recognize and avoid scams, and protect their financial information.
• Institutional betrayal: The experience of being ignored, blamed, or dismissed by systems that are supposed to help, such as police, banks, or federal agencies.
• Lawmakers: Elected members of Congress (Senators and Representatives) who have the power to introduce and support new laws.
• Mental health resources: Services such as counseling, therapy, and trauma recovery programs that help scam victims cope with emotional damage.
• Money mules: Individuals, knowingly or unknowingly, used by scammers to move stolen funds, often recruited through fake job offers.
• National emergency: A widespread crisis that demands urgent attention and coordinated action from federal leadership.
• Organized criminal threat: A coordinated, large-scale system of illegal activity, such as international scam networks and cybercrime syndicates.
• Psychological manipulation: The use of deceit, pressure, or emotional tactics to control or exploit a person, often central to how scams work.
• Scam victim advocacy: The work of raising awareness, supporting victims, and pushing for legal and social reform to address scam-related harm.
• Suicide risk: The potential for severe emotional suffering from scam victimization to result in self-harm or death, especially when victims feel hopeless or unsupported.
• Trauma-informed recovery: An approach to healing that recognizes the emotional, psychological, and physical effects of trauma and builds safety, trust, and empowerment.

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