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Union Calendar No. 521 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 6125 

[Report No. 118–623] 

To require online dating service providers to provide fraud ban notifications 

to online dating service members, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 30, 2023 

Mr. VALADAO (for himself and Ms. PETTERSEN) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

JULY 30, 2024 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 

House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on October 30, 2023] 


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A BILL 

To require online dating service providers to provide fraud 

ban notifications to online dating service members, and 

for other purposes. 


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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

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

5 Act of 2023’’. 

6 SEC. 2. ONLINE DATING SAFETY. 

7 (a) FRAUD BAN NOTIFICATION.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—An online dating service pro9 vider shall provide to a member of the online dating 

10 service a fraud ban notification if the member has re11 ceived a message through the online dating service 

12 from a banned member of the online dating service. 

13 (2) REQUIRED CONTENTS.—A fraud ban notifi14 cation under paragraph (1) shall include the fol15 lowing: 

16 (A) The username or other profile identifier 

17 of the banned member, as well as the most recent 

18 time when the member to whom the notification 

19 is being provided sent or received a message 

20 through the online dating service to or from the 

21 banned member. 

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

23 banned member may have been using a false 

24 identity or attempting to defraud members. 


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1 (C) A statement that a member should not 

2 send money or personal financial information to 

3 another member. 

4 (D) An online link to information regard5 ing ways to avoid online fraud or being de6 frauded by a member of an online dating service. 

7 (E) Contact information to reach the cus8 tomer service department of the online dating 

9 service provider. 

10 (3) MANNER AND TIMING.— 

11 (A) MANNER.—A fraud ban notification 

12 under paragraph (1) shall be— 

13 (i) clear and conspicuous; and 

14 (ii) provided by email, text message, or 

15 other appropriate means of communication 

16 consented to by the member. 

17 (B) TIMING.— 

18 (i) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided 

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

20 service provider shall provide a fraud ban 

21 notification under paragraph (1) not later 

22 than 24 hours after the fraud ban is initi23 ated against the banned member. 

24 (ii) DELAY BASED ON JUDGMENT OF

25 PROVIDER.—If, in the judgment of the onVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:05 Jul 31, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H6125.RH H6125

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1 line dating service provider, the cir2 cumstances require a fraud ban notification 

3 under paragraph (1) to be provided after 

4 the 24-hour period described in clause (i), 

5 the online dating service provider shall, ex6 cept as provided in clause (iii), provide the 

7 notification not later than 3 days after the 

8 day on which the fraud ban is initiated 

9 against the banned member. 

10 (iii) DELAY UPON REQUEST OF LAW

11 ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.—If, due to an on12 going investigation, a law enforcement offi13 cial requests an online dating service pro14 vider to delay providing a fraud ban notifi15 cation under paragraph (1) beyond the time 

16 when the notification is required to be pro17 vided under clause (i) or (ii), the online 

18 dating service provider— 

19 (I) may not provide the notifica20 tion before the end of the period of 

21 delay (including any extension of such 

22 period) requested by the law enforce23 ment official; and 

24 (II) shall provide the notification 

25 not later than 3 days after the last day 


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1 of the period of delay (including any 

2 extension of such period) requested by 

3 the law enforcement official. 

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 as 

8 a violation of a regulation under section 18(a)(1)(B) 

9 of the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 

10 57a(a)(1)(B)) regarding unfair or deceptive acts or 

11 practices. 

12 (2) POWERS OF COMMISSION.—The Commission 

13 shall enforce this section in the same manner, by the 

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

15 and duties as though all applicable terms and provi16 sions of the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 

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

18 a part of this section, and any person who violates 

19 this section shall be subject to the penalties and enti20 tled to the privileges and immunities provided in the 

21 Federal Trade Commission Act. 

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

23 section may be construed to limit the authority of the 

24 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 of 

12 the State involved shall provide to the Commission a 

13 written notice of such action and a copy of the com14 plaint for such action. If the attorney general, official, 

15 or agency determines that it is not feasible to provide 

16 the notice described in this paragraph before the filing 

17 of the action, the attorney general, official, or agency 

18 shall provide written notice of the action and a copy 

19 of the complaint to the Commission immediately 

20 upon the filing of the action. 

21 (3) AUTHORITY OF FEDERAL TRADE COMMIS22 SION.— 

23 (A) IN GENERAL.—On receiving notice 

24 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 States 

10 has instituted a civil action for violation of this 

11 section (referred to in this subparagraph as the 

12 ‘‘Federal action’’), no State attorney general, of13 ficial, or agency may bring an action under this 

14 subsection during the pendency of the Federal ac15 tion against any defendant named in the com16 plaint in the Federal action for any violation of 

17 this section alleged in such complaint. 

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

19 bringing a civil action under this subsection, nothing 

20 in this section may be construed to prevent an attor21 ney general, official, or agency of a State from exer22 cising the powers conferred on the attorney general, 

23 official, or agency by the laws of such State to con24 duct investigations, administer oaths and affirmaVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:05 Jul 31, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H6125.RH 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, prescribe, 

6 or continue in effect any law, rule, regulation, re7 quirement, 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 of 

14 the online dating service that the member has received 

15 a message from or sent a message to a banned mem16 ber 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 mem23 ber’’ means a member of an online dating service 

24 whose account or profile on the online dating service 

25 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 provider, 

7 there is a significant risk the member will attempt to 

8 obtain money from another member through fraudu9 lent means. 

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

11 individual who— 

12 (A) submits to an online dating service pro13 vider the information required by the provider to 

14 establish an account or profile on the online dat15 ing service; and 

16 (B) is allowed by the provider to establish 

17 such an account or profile. 

18 (5) ONLINE DATING SERVICE.—The term ‘‘online 

19 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 person 

3 engaged in the business of offering an online dating 

4 service. 

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

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

7 commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United 

8 States, and each federally recognized Indian Tribe. 

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

10 the date that is 1 year after the date of the enactment of 

11 this Act. 


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Union Calendar No. 521 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 6125 

[Report No. 118–623] 

A BILL 

To require online dating service providers to proice members, and for other purposes. vide fraud ban notifications to online dating servJULY 30, 2024 Reported with an amendment, committed to the Comand ordered to be printed mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 


ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS