The Romance Scam Prevention Act Is Now Law. Dating Apps Have Until October 2027.

President Trump signed the Romance Scam Prevention Act, H.R. 2481, on October 20, according to statements issued the next day by the bill's House sponsor, Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.), and co-lead Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.). The law requires online dating services to warn users who messaged someone the service later banned for fraud. It takes effect one year after enactment, which puts the compliance date at October 20, 2027.

What the law requires

Under the bill text, a provider must notify each member who received a message from a banned member no later than 24 hours after the fraud ban starts. A provider can take up to three days if it determines circumstances require it, and law enforcement can request a longer delay during an investigation. The notice must include the banned member's username or profile identifier and the last time the two communicated, state where applicable that the banned member may have used a false identity or tried to defraud members, warn against sending cash or personal financial information, and give fraud-prevention tips and customer service contact details.

The Federal Trade Commission enforces the law as a violation of a rule on unfair or deceptive practices, and state attorneys general can sue in federal court on behalf of residents. Providers are shielded from claims by members, banned members or former members based on actions taken to comply. The law's definition of an online dating service has no size or revenue threshold, so it reaches a two-person app as well as Tinder.

What it does not require

The law does not require apps to ban anyone, screen new members or verify identities. It applies only after a provider has already decided to ban an account for fraud. That limits its reach, and it creates an odd incentive: a service that catches more scammers sends more notices and carries more compliance work than one that catches fewer.

Lawmakers framed it as a floor. "Romance scammers stole almost $1.5 billion from innocent Americans in 2025 alone," said Rep. Craig Goldman (R-Texas). "Dating apps have become a new frontier for scammers looking to manipulate people and steal their money," Suozzi said. Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) led the Senate companion. The signing follows a Senate Joint Economic Committee minority report, led by Sen. Maggie Hassan, that criticized how slowly Match Group updated its scam detection models, which Match disputed.

Why it matters: Writing the warning is the easy part. The hard part is the data plumbing: tying every fraud ban to a complete list of everyone that account messaged, then sending a compliant notice within 24 hours, at any hour, across every brand and white-label site a company runs. Networks that share member pools across sites have the most mapping to do. A year is enough time to build it properly, but not enough to leave it until next summer. Expect the FTC's first question in any inquiry to be for the log that connects each ban to each notice.

Sources: Rep. Valadao: President signs Romance Scam Prevention Act, October 21, 2026 · Rep. Suozzi statement, October 21, 2026 · Bill text, H.R. 2481 (GovInfo)