Joni Ernst Urges Feds To Stop Viral 'Fraud-Fluencers'
They're costing taxpayers millions.
A viral video showing how to make a party dip is one thing, but step-by-step online instructions on defrauding federal and state programs put the “con” in “content,” Senator Joni Ernst said Saturday.
“Our taxpayers work way too hard to lose this kind of money to fraudsters,” the Iowa Republican, who chairs the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, said on Fox News Channel’s “Saturday in America.” “This is absolutely unacceptable.”
Ms. Ernst called out what she’s dubbed “fraud-fluencers, social media personalities who are making fleecing taxpayers a lifestyle and flagrantly flaunting to their followers how easy it is to scam Uncle Sam.”
Just four scammers she cites collected more than $4.5 million, with some promoting their methods to others in videos.
Attallah Williams of Hampton, Georgia, was charged in January with conspiracy to defraud the federal government of $3.5 million in COVID-19 relief funds after she posted advertisements and direct messages on Instagram to recruit accomplices.
She allegedly took jobs at the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Internal Revenue Service that let her approve fraudulent SBA loan applications. Williams is alleged to have aided her recruits, who submitted fraudulent tax documents to claim Employee Retention Tax Credit payments, at the IRS as well.
While at each agency, Williams allegedly sought a kickback or bribe to process the paperwork.
“Williams allegedly exploited her federal employment, stole millions of dollars from generous government programs, and brazenly recruited other participants through social media advertisements,” U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said after her January arrest.
Miami influencer Danielle Miller fraudulently obtained more than $1 million in pandemic-related loans by using the stolen identities of more than 10 people. She bragged about her lavish lifestyle of private-jet charters and luxury-apartment rentals to her 34,000 Instagram followers. Convicted in 2023, Ms. Miller is serving a five-year federal prison sentence — and then will serve a 16-year state sentence handed down in 2025.
Venezuelan migrant Leonel Moreno gained notoriety for creating TikTok videos encouraging people to claim squatters rights to occupy abandoned homes. He was deported in April 2025, with his videos taken down.
And Louisiana resident Koya Unek got 56,600 likes on TikTok for her video saying, “Y’all better start lying to them food stamp ppl.” Now facing fraud charges for lying to get $35,000 in benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, she has since cautioned followers to “watch what y’all put on the internet because everything is not for the internet — and I learned that.”
To stop the online promotion of rip-off schemes, Ms. Ernst has asked the Government Accountability Office to probe online forums where the how-tos are shared and develop plans for agencies to combat fraud.
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