Victims of 'romance scams' turn to Congress for help

Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., introduced a bill that would require dating apps and social media companies to remove or flag scammers from their platforms and issue notifications to users who interact with those accounts.

WASHINGTON — Four years after getting divorced, Beth Hyland, 54, decided it was finally time to start dating again. She had never used dating apps, but her work colleagues had found luck meeting significant others online.

“So, I thought I’d try it,” Hyland told NBC News in an interview this month. Eventually, she met someone who appeared to be her perfect match: “Richard,” who claimed to be a French project manager for a construction company, began texting and talking on the phone constantly with Hyland. 

But “Richard” wasn’t who he said he was. Hyland just didn’t know it yet — and her story, and hundreds like it, would soon inspire federal legislation in Congress.

Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., have introduced a bill that would require dating apps and social media companies to remove or flag scammers from their platforms and issue notifications to users who interact with those accounts. 

At a mark-up of the bill earlier this month, Blackburn introduced Hyland, who was seated in the Senate Commerce Committee hearing room in the Capitol: “I do want to recognize Beth Hyland,” Blackburn said. “She is a survivor of this crime. She drove nine hours to be here in the audience with us today.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/victims-romance-scams-turn-congress-help-rcna197052

---