Senate Unanimously Approves Romance Scam Prevention Act, Sending Bill to President
The U.S. Senate has unanimously approved the Romance Scam Prevention Act, sending the legislation to President Trump for his signature. The bill, sponsored by Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee with bipartisan support from Senator John Hickenlooper of Colorado, requires dating apps and online services to alert users when they have communicated with someone whose account was removed for fraudulent activity.
If signed into law, the measure will take effect one year after enactment. The Federal Trade Commission will enforce the requirements, while state attorneys general and other authorized consumer-protection officials will have authority to bring civil actions under the legislation.
A Growing Threat to Online Dating Users
The legislation addresses a rapidly growing threat to Americans seeking companionship online. In 2023, the Federal Trade Commission documented over 64,000 reported romance scam cases with losses exceeding $1.1 billion. The median individual loss reached $2,000, marking the highest median reported loss of any imposter scam category that year. Over 60 million people used online dating services in 2023, creating a vast pool of potential targets for fraudsters.
Tennessee residents over age 60 lost $43 million to scams targeting the elderly in 2023, an 18% increase from losses reported in 2022. Nationally, adults over 60 accounted for more than half of all reported romance scam losses by dollar value in 2023, despite representing a minority of internet users.
The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically accelerated these crimes. As more senior citizens turned to dating sites for companionship during isolation from loved ones, losses from romance scams targeting seniors surged from $84 million in 2019 to $139 million in 2020, a 65.5% increase in a single year.
Requirements for Dating Platforms
Under the new law, dating platforms will generally have 24 hours after issuing a fraud ban to send required notifications to affected users. The bill permits up to three days in certain circumstances and allows longer delays when requested by law enforcement during active investigations.
The fraud ban notifications must include detailed information:
- The username or profile identifier of the banned user
- The most recent time messages were exchanged
- A statement that the banned user may have been using a false identity or attempting to defraud others
- A warning not to send cash or personal financial information
- Guidance about avoiding online fraud
- Contact information for the provider's customer service department
Filling a Critical Communication Gap
The legislation fills a critical communication gap in current dating platform practices. When service providers detect fraudulent activity and deactivate an account, individuals who have moved their conversations to other communication platforms may continue interacting with scammers without realizing the person's account has been removed from the dating site.
The House of Representatives unanimously passed the companion legislation, H.R. 2481, on June 23, 2025. Representative David Valadao of California introduced the House version on March 31, 2025, with original cosponsors Representatives Brittany Pettersen of Colorado, Craig Goldman of Texas, and Tom Suozzi of New York, demonstrating strong bipartisan support for addressing this public safety concern.
