Sen. Ossoff Working Across the Aisle to Protect Georgians from Online Scams

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is working across the aisle to protect Georgians from online scams.

Sen. Ossoff is cosponsoring the bipartisan Task Force for Recognizing and Averting Payment Scams (TRAPS) Act, legislation that would establish a multi-agency Task Force to study, prevent, and combat payment scams targeting electronic fund transfers.

The bipartisan TRAPS Act would bring together Federal agencies, financial institutions, consumer groups, and victim advocates to develop strategies for detection, education, law enforcement coordination, and legislative recommendations. The bipartisan bill, first introduced by Senators Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Mark Warner (D-VA), would also report annually on progress and solutions to protect consumers from evolving payment scams.

"Online scams are more than a nuisance - they cost families precious time and money. I am working to bring both parties together to crack down on fraudulent payment scams that have cost Georgians hundreds of millions of dollars," Sen. Ossoff said.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's 2024 Internet Crime Report, Georgians lost over $420 million to fraudsters.

Sen. Ossoff continues working to protect Georgians from online scams.

Last April, Sen. Ossoff introduced the bipartisan Data Elimination and Limiting Extensive Tracking and Exchange (DELETE) Act, legislation that would enable and empower Americans to request that data brokers delete their personal data.

Last February, Sen. Ossoff launched an inquiry with Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Andrew Ferguson demanding answers and stronger protections for Georgia seniors from the FTC as financial scams continue to rise at an alarming rate, and Sen. Ossoff also urged the Trump Administration to resume the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's (CFPB) work investigating and enforcing protections for military families and veterans against predatory lenders.

In March 2024, Sen. Ossoff launched an inquiry with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to better protect Georgia seniors from financial scams.

In 2022, Sen. Ossoff secured a commitment from Bank of America's CEO to take action against financial schemes preying on new mothers in Georgia and across the U.S.

Click here to read the Task Force for Recognizing and Averting Payment Scams (TRAPS) Act.

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