EXCLUSIVE: As romance scams are on the rise, a bipartisan group of lawmakers is introducing new legislation aimed at holding accountable those who seek to defraud retirees and steal their hard-earned savings.
U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., and Rep. David Valadao, R-Calif., introduced the Romance Scam Prevention Act, which would require dating apps and services to issue fraud ban notifications to users who have interacted with a person removed from the app.
The move came as Americans are more than ever connected thanks to social media and dating apps that allow us to stay in touch with old friends all over the world and to develop new relationships online.
As Americans increasingly go online in search of relationships, scammers are following suit. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), in 2022 almost 70,000 people reported being victims of a romance scam.
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Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) arrives to a Senate Judiciary Committee business meeting at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Feb. 13, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., is seen in the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
People aged 40 to 69 are the most likely to report losing money due to a romance scam, and people 70 and older reported the highest individual median losses at $9,475, according to the FTC.
Blackburn said that the bipartisan legislation would put “critical safeguards” in place to protect app users. The senator highlighted that in 2023, Tennesseans over the age of 60 lost $43 million due to scams targeting the elderly.
“Scammers are merciless in their exploitation of senior citizens who join dating apps to establish meaningful connections but instead end up losing their life savings to con artists who prey on their vulnerabilities,” she said.
READ THE BILL TEXT: MOBILE USERS CLICK HERE
The bill requires online dating service providers to notify members if they’ve communicated…
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