[House Report 119-153]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
119th Congress } { Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
1st Session } { 119-153
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ROMANCE SCAM PREVENTION ACT
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June 12, 2025.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the
State of the Union and ordered to be printed
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Mr. Guthrie, from the Committee on Energy and Commerce, submitted the
following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 2481]
The Committee on Energy and Commerce, to whom was referred
the bill (H.R. 2481) to require online dating service providers
to provide fraud ban notifications to online dating service
members, and for other purposes, having considered the same,
reports favorably thereon without amendment and recommends that
the bill do pass.
CONTENTS
Page
Purpose and Summary.............................................. 1
Background and Need for Legislation.............................. 2
Committee Action................................................. 3
Committee Votes.................................................. 3
Oversight Findings and Recommendations........................... 3
New Budget Authority, Entitlement Authority, and Tax Expenditures 3
Congressional Budget Office Estimate............................. 4
Federal Mandates Statement....................................... 4
Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives............ 4
Duplication of Federal Programs.................................. 4
Related Committee and Subcommittee Hearings...................... 4
Committee Cost Estimate.......................................... 5
Earmark, Limited Tax Benefits, and Limited Tariff Benefits....... 5
Advisory Committee Statement..................................... 5
Applicability to Legislative Branch.............................. 5
Section-by-Section Analysis of the Legislation................... 5
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported............ 5
PURPOSE AND SUMMARY
H.R. 2481, the ``Romance Scam Prevention Act'', was
introduced by Representative Valadao on March 31, 2025, and
referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce. H.R. 2481
requires online dating service providers to provide fraud ban
notifications to users who have interacted with a person
removed from the app for fraudulent activity.
BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
Since their inception in 1995, online dating platforms have
transformed the way that people find their partners, and they
continue to gain popularity. According to a recent study, 30
percent of U.S. adults say that they have used a dating site or
app.\1\ While online dating platforms have arguably made
finding romantic partners easier than traditional dating, their
digital format has increased the dangers of dating.
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\1\Emily A, Vogels and Colleen McClain, Key findings about online
dating in the U.S., Pew Research Center (February 2, 2023), https://
www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/02/02/key-
findings-about-online-dating-in-the-u-s/.
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The Federal Trade Commission reported that romance scams
resulted in victims losing $1.3 billion in 2022.\2\ Victims of
these scams may lose their investments, retirements, and life
savings. In one example, Nelly Idowu, a 39-year-old woman from
Provo, Utah, preyed on single women over the age of 65 and
scammed her victims out of over $6 million from 2017 to
2019.\3\ In another example, Joe Bleibtrey's scammer convinced
him to invest his savings and retirement accounts into a fake
scheme in which he appeared to be making a fortune by investing
in cryptocurrencies.\4\ He died by suicide after realizing that
he had been scammed and his savings were stolen.\5\
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\2\Emma Fletcher, Romance scammers' favorite lies exposed, Federal
Trade Commission (February 9, 2023), https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/
data-visualizations/data-spotlight/2023/02/
romance-scammers-favorite-lies-exposed.
\3\Derrick Jones, Scammer convicted of $6 million romance scam, KSL
News Radio (October 24, 2023), https://kslnewsradio.com/2052997/
scammer-convicted-of-6-million-romance-scam/.
\4\Kevin Collier, Online romance scams are netting millions of
dollars--and pushing some to self-harm, NBC News (July 2, 2023),
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/how-online-
romance-scams-netting-millions-self-harm-rcna85252.
\5\Id.
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Most online dating service providers have implemented
multiple strategies, including selfie verification, to manage
romance scams on their platforms.\6\ When some online dating
service providers suspect that an account is fraudulent, the
online dating services removes the fraudulent user's profile or
account.\7\ Additionally, some online dating services have
created campaigns to educate users on online dating scams and
toxic behavior.\8\ However, not all users are aware of the risk
of scammers using dating websites, and they often do not know
when someone they met through the site has been kicked off the
site for fraud.\9\ Moreover, there are reports that scammers
often invite their victims and potential victims to communicate
outside the dating website, so the victims may not know that
someone they are communicating with off the site has had their
account disabled on the site.\10\
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\6\Alexandra Skores, Here's how dating app giant Match Group is
fighting back against romance scammers, The Dallas Morning News
(January 11, 2023), https://www.dallasnews.com/business/local-
companies/2023/01/11/heres-how-dating-app-giant-match-group-is-
fighting-back-against-romance-scammers/.
\7\PR Newswire, Match Group Tells Spammers To Bot Off As It
Continues Investing In Automated Tools To Remove Fraudsters (June 9,
2023), https://finance.yahoo.com/news/match-group-tells-spammers-bot-
155200566.html.
\8\Alex Caperton, Tinder partners with celebrity to fight romance
scams, ABC 6 (October 2, 2023), https://abc6onyourside.com/news/local/
tinder-partners-with-celebrity-to-fight-romance-
scams-mean-girls-jonathan-bennett-world-romace-scam-prevention-day-
match-group.
\9\Aura, The Unexpected Dangers of Online Dating [11 Scams To Know]
(Nov. 29, 2023) (https://www.aura.com/learn/dangers-of-online-dating).
\10\Id.
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H.R. 2481 seeks to fill this communication gap by requiring
online dating platforms to send a fraud ban notification to
anyone who has communicated with someone whose account or
profile has been suspended because, in the judgment of the
online dating service provider, there is a significant risk
that the member will attempt to obtain money from another
member through fraudulent means. With these notifications,
Americans will be less likely to fall victim to romance
scammers.
COMMITTEE ACTION
On September 27, 2023, the Subcommittee on Innovation,
Data, and Commerce held a hearing on the Romance Scam
Prevention Act. The title of the hearing was ``Proposals to
Enhance Product Safety and Transparency for Americans.'' The
Subcommittee received testimony from:
Kathleen Callahan, Owner, Xpertech Auto
Repair;
Scott Benavidez, Chairman, Automotive
Service Association;
Steven Michael Gentine, Counsel, Arnold &
Porter, LLP;
John Breyault, Vice President of Public
Policy, Telecommunications and Fraud, National
Consumers League; and
David Touhey, Principal, Connett Consulting,
appearing on behalf of International Association of
Venue Managers.
On March 26, 2025, the Subcommittee on Commerce,
Manufacturing, and Trade held a hearing titled, ``The World
Wild Web: Examining Harms Online.'' The Subcommittee received
testimony from:
Dawn Hawkins, Senior Advisor, National
Center on Sexual Exploitation;
Yiota Souras, Chief Legal Officer, National
Center for Missing and Exploited Children;
Clare Morell, Fellow, Ethics and Public
Policy Center; and
Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, Former
Commissioner, Federal Trade Commission.
On April 8, 2025, the full Committee on Energy and Commerce
met in open markup session and ordered H.R. 2481, without
amendment, favorably reported to the House by a voice vote.
COMMITTEE VOTES
Clause 3(b) of rule XIII requires the Committee to list the
record votes on the motion to report legislation and amendments
thereto. There were no record votes taken in connection with
ordering H.R. 2481 reported.
OVERSIGHT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Pursuant to clause 2(b)(1) of rule X and clause 3(c)(1) of
rule XIII, the Committee held a hearing and made findings that
are reflected in this report.
NEW BUDGET AUTHORITY, ENTITLEMENT AUTHORITY,
AND TAX EXPENDITURES
Pursuant to clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII, the Committee
finds that H.R. 2481 would result in no new or increased budget
authority, entitlement authority, or tax expenditures or
revenues.
CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE ESTIMATE
Pursuant to clause 3(c)(3) of rule XIII, at the time this
report was filed, the cost estimate prepared by the Director of
the Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 402 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974 was not available.
FEDERAL MANDATES STATEMENT
The Committee adopts as its own the estimate of Federal
mandates prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget
Office pursuant to section 423 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform
Act.
STATEMENT OF GENERAL PERFORMANCE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
Pursuant to clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the general
performance goal or objective of this legislation is to allow
online dating services to notify users when they have been
communicating with a user who has been removed from the
platform.
DUPLICATION OF FEDERAL PROGRAMS
Pursuant to clause 3(c)(5) of rule XIII, no provision of
H.R. 2481 is known to be duplicative of another Federal
program, including any program that was included in a report to
Congress pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111-139 or the
most recent Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance.
RELATED COMMITTEE AND SUBCOMMITTEE HEARINGS
Pursuant to clause 3(c)(6) of rule XIII, the following
related hearing was used to develop or consider the Romance
Scam Prevention Act:
On September 27, 2023, the Subcommittee on
Innovation, Data, and Commerce held a hearing the
Romance Scam Prevention Act. The title of the hearing
was ``Proposals to Enhance Product Safety and
Transparency for Americans.'' The Subcommittee received
testimony from:
Kathleen Callahan, Owner,
Xpertech Auto Repair;
Scott Benavidez, Chairman,
Automotive Service Association;
Steven Michael Gentine, Counsel,
Arnold & Porter, LLP;
John Breyault, Vice President of
Public Policy, Telecommunications and Fraud,
National Consumers League; and,
David Touhey, Principal, Connett
Consulting, appearing on behalf of
International Association of Venue Managers.
On March 26, 2025, the Subcommittee on
Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade held a hearing
titled, ``The World Wild Web: Examining Harms Online.''
The Subcommittee received testimony from:
Dawn Hawkins, Senior Advisor,
National Center on Sexual Exploitation;
Yiota Souras, Chief Legal
Officer, National Center for Missing and
Exploited Children;
Clare Morell, Fellow, Ethics and
Public Policy Center; and
Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, Former
Commissioner, Federal Trade Commission.
COMMITTEE COST ESTIMATE
Pursuant to clause 3(d)(1) of rule XIII, the Committee
adopts as its own the cost estimate prepared by the Director of
the Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 402 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974.
EARMARK, LIMITED TAX BENEFITS, AND LIMITED TARIFF BENEFITS
Pursuant to clause 9(e), 9(f), and 9(g) of rule XXI, the
Committee finds that H.R. 6125 contains no earmarks, limited
tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits.
ADVISORY COMMITTEE STATEMENT
No advisory committees within the meaning of section 5(b)
of the Federal Advisory Committee Act were created by this
legislation.
APPLICABILITY TO LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
The Committee finds that the legislation does not relate to
the terms and conditions of employment or access to public
services or accommodations within the meaning of section
102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act.
SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS OF THE LEGISLATION
Section 1. Short title
Section 1 allows the Act to be cited as the ``Romance Scam
Prevention Act.''
Section 2. Romance scam prevention
Section 2 requires online dating service providers to
provide to a member of the online dating service a fraud ban
notification if the member has received a message through the
online dating service from a banned member. The section details
the requirements of the fraud ban notification requirement for
online dating service providers and provides protection from
liability for an online dating service provider for its actions
to comply with the requirements for providing a fraud ban
notification. The section also allows for Federal Trade
Commission and States Attorneys General to enforce the
requirement, creates one national standard, and provides
relevant definitions of terms used in the Act.
CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW MADE BY THE BILL, AS REPORTED
This legislation does not amend any existing Federal
statute.
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