Romance Scam Prevention Act
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Would require online dating apps and websites to notify users when someone they messaged has been banned for suspected fraud — and spell out in that notice what the scam may have involved and how to avoid sending money to fraudsters.
Romance scams cost Americans hundreds of millions of dollars each year; the bill would create a uniform federal notification standard and give the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general authority to enforce it.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would require any website or mobile app that facilitates romantic introductions between users to send a "fraud ban notification" whenever an account is terminated or suspended because the provider judges there is a significant risk the user was trying to obtain money through fraud. The notification must go to every member who exchanged messages with the banned account, include the banned user's profile identifier and the timestamp of the last message, warn that the account may have used a false identity, advise against sending cash or financial information to any user, link to fraud-avoidance resources, and provide the provider's customer service contact. Notifications must be delivered by email or text within 24 hours of the ban, with limited exceptions for provider judgment (up to 3 days) or active law enforcement investigations.
The bill would preempt any state law that imposes different or conflicting notification requirements on dating platforms, establishing a single national standard. It would not preempt state contract or tort law. Providers would receive a safe harbor from civil liability for actions taken in compliance with the notification requirements.
Key provisions
- 1Would require online dating service providers to send a fraud ban notification to any member who messaged a subsequently banned user suspected of fraud
- 2Would specify five required elements of the notification, including the banned user's identifier, last message timestamp, fraud warning, financial safety advice, and customer service contact
- 3Would require notifications to be sent within 24 hours of a fraud ban, with up to 3-day extensions at provider discretion or at law enforcement request during an active investigation
- 4Would grant providers a safe harbor from civil liability for actions taken in compliance with the notification requirements
- 5Would authorize the FTC and state attorneys general to enforce the notification requirement, treating violations as unfair or deceptive practices under the FTC Act
- 6Would preempt state and local laws that impose different or conflicting dating-platform fraud notification requirements, while preserving state contract and tort law
Who would be affected
Online dating service providers — companies operating matchmaking websites or mobile apps — would face a new mandatory notification obligation. Members of those services who have messaged with a subsequently banned user would receive the required notices. Romance scam victims, who are disproportionately older adults and individuals who form emotional attachments online before money is solicited, are the intended beneficiaries.
Why it matters
For users of dating apps, a timely fraud ban notification could interrupt a scam before any money is lost — particularly in cases where a fraudster has established ongoing contact before being banned. For platforms, compliance would require building and maintaining notification infrastructure, while the safe harbor provision insulates them from civil suits for good-faith notices. State regulators would be preempted from setting different standards.
What would change
Changes to existing law
Amends Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 41 et seq.) (Sec. 2(b)(1))
Treats violations of the new fraud ban notification requirement as violations of an FTC unfair-or-deceptive-practices rule, extending the Commission's enforcement powers to this new requirement.
Agencies directed to act
Effective dates
- The entire Act's requirements take effect
Funding and costs
Congressional Budget Office estimate
CBO estimates S. 841 would cost the federal government $4 million over the 2025–2030 period, with no effect on direct spending or revenues, and would not increase the deficit in any future 10-year period.
CBO estimates that implementing the Romance Scam Prevention Act (S. 841) would cost the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) $4 million over the 2025–2030 period to issue guidance and monitor and enforce the bill's requirements; that spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds (discretionary spending). The bill would have no effect on direct (mandatory) spending, and any additional civil-penalty revenues remitted to the Treasury would be insignificant (between zero and $500,000 over the 2025–2035 period). The bill contains both an intergovernmental mandate and a private-sector mandate as defined by the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act, but CBO estimates the costs of each would fall below UMRA's statutory thresholds ($103 million and $206 million in 2025, respectively, adjusted for inflation).
How implementation would work
Providers would need to develop systems to identify every member who exchanged messages with a newly banned account and send a compliant notification within 24 hours. No rulemaking by the FTC is mandated, but violations would be treated as violations of an FTC unfair-or-deceptive-practices rule, giving the Commission enforcement authority including civil penalties. State attorneys general may also sue on behalf of residents, with a pre-suit notice requirement to the FTC and coordination rules when a federal action is already pending. The law takes effect one year after enactment, giving providers time to build compliance systems.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 145.
Official CRS summary
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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.
Legislative subjects
Civil actions and liability; Commerce; Consumer affairs; Fraud offenses and financial crimes; Internet, web applications, social media; Licensing and registrations
Committee report
S. Rept. 119-58