IIB 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 6125 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 24, 2024 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

and Transportation 

AN ACT 

To require online dating service providers to provide fraud 

ban notifications to online dating service members, and 

for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Online Dating Safety 

3 Act of 2023’’. 

4 SEC. 2. ONLINE DATING SAFETY. 

5 (a) FRAUD BAN NOTIFICATION.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—An online dating service pro7 vider shall provide to a member of the online dating 

8 service a fraud ban notification if the member has 

9 received a message through the online dating service 

10 from a banned member of the online dating service. 

11 (2) REQUIRED CONTENTS.—A fraud ban notifi12 cation under paragraph (1) shall include the fol13 lowing: 

14 (A) The username or other profile identi15 fier of the banned member, as well as the most 

16 recent time when the member to whom the noti17 fication is being provided sent or received a 

18 message through the online dating service to or 

19 from the banned member. 

20 (B) A statement, as applicable, that the 

21 banned member may have been using a false 

22 identity or attempting to defraud members. 

23 (C) A statement that a member should not 

24 send money or personal financial information to 

25 another member. 


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1 (D) An online link to information regard2 ing ways to avoid online fraud or being de3 frauded by a member of an online dating serv4 ice. 

5 (E) Contact information to reach the cus6 tomer service department of the online dating 

7 service provider. 

8 (3) MANNER AND TIMING.— 

9 (A) MANNER.—A fraud ban notification 

10 under paragraph (1) shall be— 

11 (i) clear and conspicuous; and 

12 (ii) provided by email, text message, 

13 or other appropriate means of communica14 tion consented to by the member. 

15 (B) TIMING.— 

16 (i) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided 

17 in clauses (ii) and (iii), an online dating 

18 service provider shall provide a fraud ban 

19 notification under paragraph (1) not later 

20 than 24 hours after the fraud ban is initi21 ated against the banned member. 

22 (ii) DELAY BASED ON JUDGMENT OF

23 PROVIDER.—If, in the judgment of the on24 line dating service provider, the cir25 cumstances require a fraud ban notificaVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:53 Sep 25, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6125.RFS H6125

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1 tion under paragraph (1) to be provided 

2 after the 24-hour period described in 

3 clause (i), the online dating service pro4 vider shall, except as provided in clause 

5 (iii), provide the notification not later than 

6 3 days after the day on which the fraud 

7 ban is initiated against the banned mem8 ber. 

9 (iii) DELAY UPON REQUEST OF LAW

10 ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.—If, due to an 

11 ongoing investigation, a law enforcement 

12 official requests an online dating service 

13 provider to delay providing a fraud ban no14 tification under paragraph (1) beyond the 

15 time when the notification is required to be 

16 provided under clause (i) or (ii), the online 

17 dating service provider— 

18 (I) may not provide the notifica19 tion before the end of the period of 

20 delay (including any extension of such 

21 period) requested by the law enforce22 ment official; and 

23 (II) shall provide the notification 

24 not later than 3 days after the last 

25 day of the period of delay (including 


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1 any extension of such period) re2 quested by the law enforcement offi3 cial. 

4 (b) ENFORCEMENT BY FEDERAL TRADE COMMIS5 SION.— 

6 (1) UNFAIR OR DECEPTIVE ACTS OR PRAC7 TICES.—A violation of this section shall be treated 

8 as a violation of a regulation under section 

9 18(a)(1)(B) of the Federal Trade Commission Act 

10 (15 U.S.C. 57a(a)(1)(B)) regarding unfair or decep11 tive acts or practices. 

12 (2) POWERS OF COMMISSION.—The Commis13 sion shall enforce this section in the same manner, 

14 by the same means, and with the same jurisdiction, 

15 powers, and duties as though all applicable terms 

16 and provisions of the Federal Trade Commission Act 

17 (15 U.S.C. 41 et seq.) were incorporated into and 

18 made a part of this section, and any person who vio19 lates this section shall be subject to the penalties 

20 and entitled to the privileges and immunities pro21 vided in the Federal Trade Commission Act. 

22 (3) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this 

23 section may be construed to limit the authority of 

24 the Commission under any other provision of law. 

25 (c) ACTIONS BY STATES.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—In any case in which the at2 torney general of a State, or an official or agency of 

3 a State, has reason to believe that an interest of the 

4 residents of such State has been or is threatened or 

5 adversely affected by an act or practice in violation 

6 of this section, the State, as parens patriae, may 

7 bring a civil action on behalf of the residents of the 

8 State in an appropriate district court of the United 

9 States to obtain appropriate relief. 

10 (2) NOTICE.—Before filing an action under this 

11 subsection, the attorney general, official, or agency 

12 of the State involved shall provide to the Commis13 sion a written notice of such action and a copy of 

14 the complaint for such action. If the attorney gen15 eral, official, or agency determines that it is not fea16 sible to provide the notice described in this para17 graph before the filing of the action, the attorney 

18 general, official, or agency shall provide written no19 tice of the action and a copy of the complaint to the 

20 Commission immediately upon the filing of the ac21 tion. 

22 (3) AUTHORITY OF FEDERAL TRADE COMMIS23 SION.— 

24 (A) IN GENERAL.—On receiving notice 

25 under paragraph (2) of an action under this 


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1 subsection, the Commission shall have the 

2 right— 

3 (i) to intervene in the action; 

4 (ii) upon so intervening, to be heard 

5 on all matters arising therein; and 

6 (iii) to file petitions for appeal. 

7 (B) LIMITATION ON STATE ACTION WHILE

8 FEDERAL ACTION IS PENDING.—If the Commis9 sion or the Attorney General of the United 

10 States has instituted a civil action for violation 

11 of this section (referred to in this subparagraph 

12 as the ‘‘Federal action’’), no State attorney 

13 general, official, or agency may bring an action 

14 under this subsection during the pendency of 

15 the Federal action against any defendant 

16 named in the complaint in the Federal action 

17 for any violation of this section alleged in such 

18 complaint. 

19 (4) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—For purposes of 

20 bringing a civil action under this subsection, nothing 

21 in this section may be construed to prevent an attor22 ney general, official, or agency of a State from exer23 cising the powers conferred on the attorney general, 

24 official, or agency by the laws of such State to con25 duct investigations, administer oaths and affirmaVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:53 Sep 25, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6125.RFS H6125

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1 tions, or compel the attendance of witnesses or the 

2 production of documentary and other evidence. 

3 (d) ONE NATIONAL STANDARD.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—A State, or political subdivi5 sion of a State, may not maintain, enforce, pre6 scribe, or continue in effect any law, rule, regulation, 

7 requirement, standard, or other provision having the 

8 force and effect of law of the State, or political sub9 division of the State, that requires an online dating 

10 service provider to notify, prohibits an online dating 

11 service provider from notifying, or otherwise affects 

12 the manner in which an online dating service pro13 vider is required or permitted to notify, a member 

14 of the online dating service that the member has re15 ceived a message from or sent a message to a 

16 banned member through the online dating service. 

17 (2) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—This subsection 

18 may not be construed to preempt any law of a State 

19 or political subdivision of a State relating to con20 tracts or torts. 

21 (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

22 (1) BANNED MEMBER.—The term ‘‘banned 

23 member’’ means a member of an online dating serv24 ice whose account or profile on the online dating 

25 service is the subject of a fraud ban. 


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1 (2) COMMISSION.—The term ‘‘Commission’’ 

2 means the Federal Trade Commission. 

3 (3) FRAUD BAN.—The term ‘‘fraud ban’’ means 

4 the termination or suspension of the account or pro5 file of a member of an online dating service because, 

6 in the judgment of the online dating service pro7 vider, there is a significant risk the member will at8 tempt to obtain money from another member 

9 through fraudulent means. 

10 (4) MEMBER.—The term ‘‘member’’ means an 

11 individual who— 

12 (A) submits to an online dating service 

13 provider the information required by the pro14 vider to establish an account or profile on the 

15 online dating service; and 

16 (B) is allowed by the provider to establish 

17 such an account or profile. 

18 (5) ONLINE DATING SERVICE.—The term ‘‘on19 line dating service’’ means a service that— 

20 (A) is provided through a website or a mo21 bile application; and 

22 (B) offers members access to dating or ro23 mantic relationships with other members by ar24 ranging or facilitating the social introduction of 

25 members. 


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1 (6) ONLINE DATING SERVICE PROVIDER.—The 

2 term ‘‘online dating service provider’’ means a per3 son engaged in the business of offering an online 

4 dating service. 

5 (7) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each 

6 State of the United States, the District of Columbia, 

7 each commonwealth, territory, or possession of the 

8 United States, and each federally recognized Indian 

9 Tribe. 

10 (f) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall take effect 

11 on the date that is 1 year after the date of the enactment 

12 of this Act. 

Passed the House of Representatives September 23, 

2024. 

Attest: KEVIN F. MCCUMBER, 

Clerk. 


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