Combating Pandemic Scams Act of 2020

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my legislation, H.R. 6435, because of the positive impact it will have on the American people.

It has been no surprise that we have seen a rise in fraud and criminal activity as the Nation grapples with the pandemic response. In these difficult times, scammers have sought to take advantage of our fellow Americans. Whether it is elderly individuals being preyed upon by financial scammers or people ordering fake health products, there has been a number of scams facing our constituents.

That is why I introduced the Combating Pandemic Scams Act with my good friend, Congresswoman Kuster, to address this issue.

This bill would direct the FTC, along with other Federal partners, to disseminate information about these scams to the public to better protect themselves. That information would be user-friendly, ensuring vulnerable populations, such as senior citizens and those with disabilities, would have the same amount of access. Ensuring people have the most up-to-date information on how to protect themselves is critical to getting through these trying times.

Federal agencies, such as the FTC, have been very active in going after these offenders who have targeted Americans during this pandemic. This bill will support those Federal efforts and help prepare Americans to help protect themselves from these scams.

The bottom line is, this is commonsense legislation to go after the people preying on our neighbors and communities.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for their bipartisan support of this legislation and the committee staff for their work on getting this across the finish line.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to pass this legislation.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source