Skip to main content

Business Regulation and Consumer Protection

Jump To:

Recent Reports

View More Reports

Open Recommendations

Consumer Product Safety Commission: Opportunities to Strengthen Oversight of Toxic Substances in Children’s Products
GAO-26-107736
Feb 23, 2026
Show
4 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Consumer Product Safety Commission The Chairman of CPSC should establish a plan for overseeing compliance with CPSC's e-filing requirements. The plan should ensure that importers comply with e-filing requirements and submit timely, accurate certificate data. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Consumer Product Safety Commission The Chairman of CPSC should develop a process for using CPSC's violations data to assess risks associated with independent and government labs. Steps could include revising its lab investigation procedures to specify how often staff should analyze data for trends related to violative findings, or developing a process for using lab data collected from the new e-filing system to examine trends over time. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Consumer Product Safety Commission The Chairman of CPSC should complete a review of CPSC's lead requirements for children's products to determine whether it is feasible to lower lead limits, and review its methods for measuring lead in paint or other surface coatings to ensure they are the most effective available to protect children's health, as required by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008. In doing so, CPSC should also document a process for completing this review every 5 years. (Recommendation 3)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Consumer Product Safety Commission The Chairman of CPSC should document a process for how CPSC staff should stay up-to-date about potential changes related to phthalates and other toxic substances found in children's products. Steps could include developing internal procedures or a research agenda specifying the nature and timing of research or other activities staff should conduct. (Recommendation 4)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Small Business Research Programs: Additional Actions Needed to Incorporate Best Practices for Addressing Foreign Risks
GAO-26-107972
Jan 28, 2026
Show
26 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of the Air Force The Secretary of Air Force should ensure the SBIR and STTR programs inform awardees in a written statement that updated disclosures must be provided within 30 days of any substantive changes to the project. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Agriculture The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure the agency consistently communicates that disclosure does not mean denial to all its SBIR and STTR applicants through mechanisms such as disclosure form itself, the agency solicitation, or on a website as part of the application process. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Agriculture The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure the agency clearly outlines its designation of "covered individuals" that is available to SBIR and STTR applicants and program staff to ensure consistent access and understanding. (Recommendation 3)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Agriculture The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure the SBIR and STTR programs inform awardees in a written statement that updated disclosures must be provided within 30 days of any substantive changes to the project. (Recommendation 4)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Agriculture The Secretary of Agriculture should assess SBIR and STTR applicants' cybersecurity practices, ensuring these assessments focus on basic small business safeguarding protocols and remain consistent with federal cybersecurity frameworks. (Recommendations 5)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Education The Secretary of Education should ensure the SBIR program informs awardees in a written statement that updated disclosures must be provided within 30 days of any substantive changes to the project. (Recommendation 6)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Consumer Protection: Actions Needed to Improve Complaint Reporting, Consumer Education, and Federal Coordination to Counter Scams
GAO-25-107088
Apr 08, 2025
Show
16 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Federal Bureau of Investigation The Director of FBI should lead a U.S. government effort to develop and implement a government-wide strategy to counter scams and coordinate related activities. This effort should be done in collaboration with the Director of CFPB, the Chair of FTC, the Secretary of the Treasury, and other agencies, as appropriate (through their designees). This effort should address issues such as a common definition for scams; consumer complaint reporting; related types/granularity/aggregation of data, risks, and responses; a government-wide estimate of this type of crime; and coordination of federal and business activities. As appropriate, and consistent with desired characteristics, a strategy should also define agency roles, responsibilities, and authorities; identify necessary resources; and identify any legislative, regulatory, or administrative changes needed to enable a comprehensive, coordinated response. (Recommendation 1)
Open
In October 2025, the FBI stated that it is committed to the development and implementation of a government-wide strategy to counter scams. The FBI added that it is prepared to lead this critical effort in partnership with the Chair of the Federal Trade Commission, and Secretary of the Treasury, and other relevant agencies. The FBI has identified the strategic framework necessary to drive this effort forward. Specifically, the FBI stated that the development and implementation of a government-wide strategy will involve: (1) a multi-agency working group, (2) legislative updates and regulatory reform, (3) collaboration with private sector organizations and others, and (4) additional funding. The FBI will continue to work on developing and implementing the government-wide strategy to counter scams. We will continue to monitor FBI's progress in this area.
Federal Trade Commission The Chair of FTC should, in collaboration with CFPB, FBI, and other major contributors, explore ways to harmonize data collection and contributions to Sentinel to better identify scams, such as consistently collecting data on scam type, dollar loss amount, payment method, and other data fields, as appropriate. (Recommendation 2)
Open
In November 2025, FTC stated that harmonizing the data can be difficult but noted that it is important to provide better information to law enforcement users and better analysis to the public. The FTC explained that it will continue to review its intake mapping and will also explore ways to improve the harmonization, including the data mapping for its major contributors. We will continue to monitor FTC's progress in this area.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau The Director of CFPB should, in collaboration with FTC, explore ways to harmonize data collection to better identify scams, such as consistently collecting data on scam type, dollar loss amount, payment method, and other data fields, as appropriate. (Recommendation 3)
Open
In an October 2025 update, CFPB did not specifically discuss actions it is taking to address the recommendations we made. However, CFPB stated that it recognizes the scale and impact of scams on consumers and shares our perspective that federal efforts must be as effective as possible. CFPB stated that for several reasons, such as implementation of the government-wide strategy to counter scams, it believes it is prudent to closely monitor the actions of the FBI, FTC, and other stakeholders before determining whether any further CFPB action is warranted. Further, for the recommendation to adopt the definition of scams developed by the Federal Reserve or work with the FBI, FTC, and other agencies to develop a common definition of scams and related scam types, CFPB stated that agreed-upon definitions and standards are necessary for the agency to address the GAO's recommendations in whole or in part. We will continue to monitor CFPB's progress in this area.
Federal Bureau of Investigation The Director of FBI should, in collaboration with FTC, explore ways to harmonize data collection to better identify scams, such as consistently collecting data on scam type. (Recommendation 4)
Open
In October 2025, the FBI explained that it will work with FTC and other partners to explore opportunities for alignment, such as shared scam-type classification, which would improve coordination in defining and tracking scams. The FBI added that it supports collaborative efforts to improve data consistency where alignment is feasible and mutually beneficial. We will continue to monitor FBI's progress in this area.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau The Director of CFPB should use the agency's data collection and analysis to produce and report an estimate of the number of complaints it receives and the associated financial losses resulting from scams. (Recommendation 5)
Open
In an October 2025 update, CFPB did not specifically discuss actions it is taking to address the recommendations we made. However, CFPB stated that it recognizes the scale and impact of scams on consumers and shares our perspective that federal efforts must be as effective as possible. CFPB stated that for several reasons, such as implementation of the government-wide strategy to counter scams, it believes it is prudent to closely monitor the actions of the FBI, FTC, and other stakeholders before determining whether any further CFPB action is warranted. Further, for the recommendation to adopt the definition of scams developed by the Federal Reserve or work with the FBI, FTC, and other agencies to develop a common definition of scams and related scam types, CFPB stated that agreed-upon definitions and standards are necessary for the agency to address the GAO's recommendations in whole or in part. We will continue to monitor CFPB's progress in this area.
Federal Bureau of Investigation The Director of FBI should use the agency's data collection and analysis to produce and report an estimate of the number of complaints it receives and the associated financial losses resulting from scams. (Recommendation 6)
Open
In October 2025, the FBI stated that it fully supports the importance of using data collection and analysis capabilities to better understand and report on the scope of scam-related activity. The FBI informed us that it will explore options to more systematically aggregate and report scam-related data, including through enhancements to existing reporting platforms. We will continue to monitor FBI's progress in this area.

Small Business Pilot Program: SBA Has Opportunities to Evaluate Outcomes and Enhance Fraud Risk Mitigation
GAO-25-107067
Mar 27, 2025
Show
2 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Small Business Administration The Administrator of SBA should complete an outcome evaluation of the Navigator Program. The evaluation should include an assessment of the scalability of lessons learned from pilot activities and incorporate input from a broad array of SBA staff and partner organizations. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Small Business Administration The Administrator of SBA should, for its competitive grant programs, implement procedures to obtain relevant information from district office staff with knowledge of applicants. In doing so, the SBA Administrator should consider the stage of the review at which staff should obtain such information, how staff should identify and address potential bias, and how to communicate relevant assessment criteria in notices of funding opportunities. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
View More Recommendations

Related Pages

GAO Contacts

Multimedia

Podcasts

As Scams Become More Costly and Sophisticated, What is Needed to Protect Consumers?
Transcript
Federal Efforts to Combat Criminals' Illicit Financial Activities
Transcript
Federal Efforts to Recover Overpayments of COVID-19 Relief
Transcript