H.R. 2481
Romance Scam Prevention Act
In plain English: what this bill does
Length: medium (3 to 5 sentences or up to 5 bullet points for the summary).
This bill would require online dating services to warn members when they have been in contact with someone whose account was banned for suspected fraud. The warning would be sent by email or text within 24 hours of the ban, with possible delays in some cases. The bill would be enforced by the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general, and it would take effect one year after it becomes law.
Who this affects
- Online dating service providers: they would have to send fraud ban notifications to members who received messages from banned members, and they would be protected from liability to members for actions taken to comply.
- Members of online dating services: they would receive a fraud ban notification if they got a message from a banned member, including the banned member's profile name, the time of the last contact, and a reminder not to send cash or personal financial information.
- State attorneys general and other state consumer protection officials: they could bring civil lawsuits in federal court against providers that violate the law, after notifying the Federal Trade Commission.
- The Federal Trade Commission: it would enforce the law, and a violation would be treated as a violation of a rule against unfair or deceptive practices.
Words to know
- Fraud ban: the ending or pausing of a dating account because the provider believes the person is likely to try to get money from another member by fraud.
- Safe harbor: a legal protection that shields a person from being sued for doing what the law requires.
- Parens patriae: a legal power that lets a state attorney general sue on behalf of the state's residents.
- Preempt: to override or take the place of a state law with a federal law.
For example
Made-up situation: A dating app bans an account on June 1 because it believes the account holder is trying to scam people for money. Maria had messaged that account on May 28. Under this bill, the app would have to send Maria a notice by email or text within 24 hours of the ban, unless a law enforcement official asks it to wait. The notice would include the banned account's profile name, the date of her last message with it, and a warning not to send cash or financial information to other members.
Written by AI from the bill's text below; it can be wrong. How it's written
Official summary
Written by the Congressional Research Service.
Romance Scam Prevention Act
This bill requires online dating service providers (i.e., mobile applications or websites) to provide users with a fraud ban notification if the user has established an account with the service and received a message through the service from a banned user of the service.
The fraud ban notification must include (1) the username or other profile identifier of the banned user and the most recent time when the user who is receiving the notification sent or received a message through the service to or from the banned user, (2) a statement that the banned user may have been using a false identity or attempting to defraud other users, (3) a statement that the user should not send cash (or another form of currency) or personal financial information to another user, (4) information about avoiding online fraud (e.g., a link to another website or a disclosure) and (5) contact information for the provider's customer service department.
The bill provides for enforcement of these requirements by the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general.