I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2481 
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 
MARCH 31, 2025 
Mr. VALADAO (for himself, Ms. PETTERSEN, Mr. GOLDMAN of Texas, and Mr. 
SUOZZI) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To require online dating service providers to provide fraud 
ban notifications to online dating service members, and 
for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Romance Scam Pre-
vention Act’’. 
SEC. 2. ROMANCE SCAM PREVENTION. 
(a) FRAUD BAN NOTIFICATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—An online dating service pro-
vider shall provide to a member of the online dating 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:50 Apr 01, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2481.IH
H2481
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
service a fraud ban notification if the member has 
received a message through the online dating service 
from a banned member of the online dating service. 
(2) REQUIRED CONTENTS.—A fraud ban notifi-
cation under paragraph (1) shall include the fol-
lowing: 
(A) The username or other profile identi-
fier of the banned member, as well as the most 
recent time when the member to whom the noti-
fication is being provided sent or received a 
message through the online dating service to or 
from the banned member. 
(B) A statement, as applicable, that the 
banned member identified in subparagraph (A) 
may have been using a false identity or at-
tempting to defraud members. 
(C) A statement that a member should not 
send cash or another form of currency or per-
sonal financial information to another member. 
(D) Information regarding best practices 
to avoid online fraud or being defrauded by a 
member of an online dating service, which may 
be provided through a link to another web page 
or disclosure. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:50 Apr 01, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2481.IH
H2481
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
(E) Contact information to reach the cus-
tomer service department of the online dating 
service provider. 
(3) MANNER AND TIMING.— 
(A) MANNER.—A fraud ban notification 
under paragraph (1) shall be— 
(i) clear and conspicuous; and 
(ii) provided by email, text message, 
or, if consented to by the member receiving 
the fraud ban notification, other appro-
priate means of communication. 
(B) TIMING.— 
(i) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided 
in clauses (ii) and (iii), an online dating 
service provider shall provide a fraud ban 
notification under paragraph (1) not later 
than 24 hours after the fraud ban is initi-
ated against the banned member. 
(ii) DELAY BASED ON JUDGMENT OF 
PROVIDER.—If, in the judgment of the on-
line dating service provider, the cir-
cumstances require a fraud ban notifica-
tion under paragraph (1) to be provided 
after the 24-hour period described in 
clause (i), the online dating service pro-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:50 Apr 01, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2481.IH
H2481
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
vider shall, except as provided in clause 
(iii), provide the notification not later than 
3 days after the day on which the fraud 
ban is initiated against the banned mem-
ber. 
(iii) DELAY UPON REQUEST OF LAW 
ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.—If, due to an 
ongoing investigation, a law enforcement 
official requests an online dating service 
provider to delay providing a fraud ban no-
tification under paragraph (1) beyond the 
time when the notification is required to be 
provided under clause (i) or (ii), the online 
dating service provider— 
(I) may not provide the notifica-
tion before the end of the period of 
delay (including any extension of such 
period) requested by the law enforce-
ment official; and 
(II) shall provide the notification 
not later than 3 days after the last 
day of the period of delay (including 
any extension of such period) re-
quested by the law enforcement offi-
cial. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:50 Apr 01, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2481.IH
H2481
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
(4) SAFE HARBOR APPLICABILITY.—An online 
dating service provider is not liable to a member, a 
banned member, or a former member for a claim 
based on an online dating service provider’s action 
to comply with the requirements for providing a 
fraud ban notification under this subsection. 
(b) ENFORCEMENT.— 
(1) ENFORCEMENT BY THE COMMISSION.— 
(A) UNFAIR OR DECEPTIVE ACTS OR PRAC-
TICES.—A violation of this section or a regula-
tion promulgated under this section shall be 
treated as a violation of a rule defining an un-
fair or deceptive act or practice under section 
18(a)(1)(B) of the Federal Trade Commission 
Act (15 U.S.C. 57a(a)(1)(B)). 
(B) POWERS OF COMMISSION.— 
(i) IN
GENERAL.—The Commission 
shall enforce this section in the same man-
ner, by the same means, and with the 
same jurisdiction, powers, and duties as 
though all applicable terms and provisions 
of the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 
U.S.C. 41 et seq.) were incorporated into 
and made a part of this section. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:50 Apr 01, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2481.IH
H2481
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
(ii) PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES.— 
Any person who violates this section shall 
be subject to the penalties and entitled to 
the privileges and immunities provided in 
the Federal Trade Commission Act. 
(iii) AUTHORITY PRESERVED.—Noth-
ing in this section may be construed to 
limit the authority of the Commission 
under any other provision of law. 
(2) ENFORCEMENT BY STATES.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to subpara-
graph (B), in any case in which the attorney 
general of a State has reason to believe that an 
interest of the residents of the State has been 
or is threatened or adversely affected by the en-
gagement of any person in an act or practice 
that violates this section, the attorney general 
of the State may, as parens patriae, bring a 
civil action on behalf of the residents of the 
State in an appropriate district court of the 
United States to obtain appropriate relief. 
(B) RIGHTS OF THE COMMISSION.— 
(i) NOTICE TO THE COMMISSION.— 
(I) IN GENERAL.—Except as pro-
vided in subclause (III), before initi-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:50 Apr 01, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2481.IH
H2481
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
ating a civil action under subpara-
graph (A), the attorney general of a 
State shall notify the Commission in 
writing that the attorney general in-
tends to bring such civil action. 
(II) CONTENTS.—The notifica-
tion required by subclause (I) shall in-
clude a copy of the complaint to be 
filed to initiate the civil action. 
(III) EXCEPTION.—If it is not 
feasible for the attorney general of a 
State to provide the notification re-
quired by subclause (I) before initi-
ating a civil action under subpara-
graph (A), the attorney general shall 
notify the Commission immediately 
upon instituting the civil action. 
(ii) INTERVENTION BY THE COMMIS-
SION.—Upon receiving the notice required 
by clause (i)(I), the Commission may inter-
vene in the civil action and, upon inter-
vening— 
(I) be heard on all matters aris-
ing in the civil action; and 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:50 Apr 01, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2481.IH
H2481
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB