Washington, D.C. — The House of Representatives has passed the bipartisan H.R. 2481 Romance Scam Prevention Act, which mandates dating apps to flag profiles and usernames banned for fraudulent activities. Congressman Nick LaLota from Suffolk County, NY, who supported the bill, stated: “Too many Americans—especially seniors and vulnerable individuals—are being targeted by online predators who exploit trust and loneliness to steal life savings. The Romance Scam Prevention Act brings common-sense safeguards that empower users and help stop these heartbreaking crimes before they start.”
The legislation empowers the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and state attorneys general to enforce this requirement. Rep. LaLota emphasized: “By passing this bill, the House is sending a clear message: we will not sit by while criminals use digital platforms to defraud the innocent. I’m proud to support this bipartisan step to protect our communities and hold scammers accountable.”
Romance scams have become one of the fastest-growing forms of online fraud in the U.S., contributing significantly to consumer fraud losses reported at $10 billion in 2023, according to FTC data. While younger adults report more frequent scams through various means such as online shopping or cryptocurrency frauds, older adults face higher financial losses in romance scams, with those aged 60 and above losing an average of nearly $34,000.
These scams typically originate on dating apps or social media platforms where scammers create fake profiles to gain victims’ trust before manipulating them into sending money or personal information. Victims often remain unaware when these fraudulent users are banned from platforms but continue communication through other channels like text or email.
Introduced by Rep. David Valadao, H.R. 2481 aims to address this issue by requiring online dating services to notify users if they exchanged messages with someone later banned for suspected fraud. This notification includes details such as the banned user’s profile name, last message exchange date, warnings about potential identity fraud, scam avoidance tips, and customer service contacts.
The bill grants enforcement authority to the FTC and state attorneys general while establishing a uniform federal standard overriding inconsistent state laws.
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