Last month, the Ohio Department of Commerce issued a warning to Ohioans to be on the lookout for imposter scams, or people calling or texting pretending to be someone they are not.
With 47 percent more reports of imposter scams from residents this year, this warning came at an important time. This rise in scams is not being driven by random internet pranks. Instead, it’s coming from organized crime syndicates where trafficked workers are being used to scam Americans by any means necessary.
Whether it’s stolen cryptocurrency, wires, gift cards, retirement accounts, or more, the theft all starts the same way. Scammers form fake relationships with their victims, and over a period of time, they steal as much money as possible. Then, they disappear without a trace before any restitution can be made, or punishment doled out.
Over the last several years, federal and state actors have proposed various solutions to combat this problem. Fortunately, Congress finally has an idea worth advancing.
The TRAPS Act will bring together a cross-agency and industry task force to develop strategies to combat fraud and scams. Unlike last session’s proposal or New York Attorney General Tish James’s recent lawsuit against the payment platform Zelle, the TRAPS Act recognizes that fraud starts with criminals and that stopping it requires a holistic solution involving all stakeholders.
Americans deserve protection from scams. Congress must act with real solutions that go after crooks, not band-aid fixes that ignore the real problem.
Jordan Greenwald, Canton, Ohio
