Sponsors (10)
The bill strengthens consumer protections against romance scams by requiring timely, informative notifications and creating enforcement and safe-harbor incentives for platforms, but it trades off increased privacy/security risks, implementation costs, possible gaps during law-enforcement delays, and limits on stronger state-level rules.
Dating-site and app members (including seniors and low-income users) are notified when they exchanged messages with a banned account and receive explicit warnings and best-practice guidance, helping them spot romance scams sooner and reduce financial and emotional harm.
Online dating service providers receive a limited safe-harbor when they notify users about banned accounts, reducing provider liability risk and making platforms more likely to comply with notification obligations.
Federal (FTC) enforcement plus state attorneys general authority create avenues for consumer redress and increase deterrence against provider noncompliance.
People whose accounts are flagged (and others connected to them, including people with disabilities and immigrants) risk privacy and safety harms if identifying notification details are misused or inaccurate.
Members may remain unprotected during active investigations because law enforcement can request delays (up to three days plus extensions) in sending notifications.
Mandatory notification messages (email/text) could be exploited as a contact vector, increasing phishing or spoofing risks for members unless messages are carefully authenticated.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires online dating platforms to notify users who messaged banned accounts about potential fraud, provide warnings and tips, and follow timing and delivery rules enforced under FTC law.
Introduced March 31, 2025 by David G. Valadao · Last progress June 24, 2025
Requires online dating services to notify any user who has exchanged messages with an account that has been banned for suspected fraud. The notice must identify the banned account, give the last message time, warn about false identities and not to send money or financial data, provide fraud-prevention tips and the provider's customer service, and be sent quickly (generally within 24 hours, with limited short delays allowed for safety or law-enforcement requests). Violations are enforced under the FTC's unfair or deceptive acts rules, and the bill creates enforcement paths for federal and state authorities and limited safe-harbors for providers that comply.