Young, Sinema Support Bipartisan Legislation to Combat Caller ID Scams
Press Release
Today, Iowa Congressman David Young and Arizona Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema, cofounders of the Bipartisan Congressional Task Force to Combat Identity Theft and Fraud, applauded the passage of the Anti-Spoofing Act of 2015, bipartisan legislation introduced by New York Congresswoman Grace Meng to crack down on telephone scams that defraud millions of American families.
Caller ID spoofing changes the names and phone numbers displayed on recipients' caller IDs to make it appear they are calling from a trusted source like a government agency, bank, police department, or hospital. Scammers then collect personal and financial information from unsuspecting victims.
"Scammers and fraudsters too often steal folks' personal information and hard-earned money by nefariously posing as government agencies or other organizations and demanding payment or information over the phone," Congressman Young said. "As cofounder of the Bipartisan Congressional Task Force to Combat Identity Theft and Fraud, I'm pleased to support this legislation, which prohibits falsified caller ID information and strengthens existing safeguards for consumers in Iowa and across the country."
"Scammers often use fraudulent caller IDs to trick victims into giving personal information or money," said Congresswoman Sinema. "This legislation is a bipartisan, commonsense solution that puts an end to this manipulative practice and protects Arizonans from financial scams and fraud."
"Millions of unsuspecting Americans continue to get ripped off through this unconscionable scam," said Congresswoman Meng. "We must do all we can to combat it and my bill would go a long way towards accomplishing that critical goal. I've heard heartbreaking stories of individuals losing thousands of dollars because scammers duped them into believing that they would be arrested or fined if they failed to immediately pay up. We cannot allow these con artists to keep preying upon innocent consumers. I applaud the House for passing my legislation and I call on the Senate to immediately approve it as well. Many thanks to the Task Force to Combat Identity Theft and Fraud for its support, and for highlighting the need to act on these types of crimes."
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