Public Law 116-287

by the 116th Congress of the United States

116^TH UNITED STATES CONGRESS

An Act
To direct the Federal Trade Commission to develop and disseminate information to the public about scams related to COVID-19, and for other purposes.

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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Combating Pandemic Scams Act of 2020’’.

SEC. 2. INFORMATION ABOUT SCAMS RELATED TO COVID–19.

(a) DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION.—

(1) I N GENERAL.—As expeditiously as possible after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commission, in consultation with the Attorney General, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Postmaster General, the Chief Postal Inspector, and the Internet Crime Complaint Center, shall develop and disseminate information to the public about scams related to the novel coronavirus (COVID–19).

(2) REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying out paragraph (1), the Commission shall—

(A) include—

(i) information regarding mail, telemarketing, and internet fraud and illegal robocalls related to COVID–19 that identifies the most common scams; and

(ii) information regarding where and how to report instances of scams related to COVID–19, including instructions on how to file a complaint with the appropriate law enforcement agency;

(B) disseminate information under such paragraph in a manner that prioritizes, and that is easily accessible by and user-friendly to, senior citizens and people with infirmities and disabilities;

(C) disseminate information under such paragraph on an internet website of the Commission that serves as a source of information for the public about scams related to COVID–19; and

(D) regularly update the information developed and disseminated under such paragraph to keep pace with the changing nature of scams related to COVID–19.

(b) DATABASE.—As expeditiously as possible after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commission shall, in consultation with State law enforcement agencies, the Director of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and other relevant Federal officials, establish a comprehensive national database, either within or separate from the Consumer Sentinel Network, that tracks instances of scams related to COVID–19.

(c) COMMISSION DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘Commission’’ means the Federal Trade Commission.

SEC. 3. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS.

The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall be determined by reference to the latest statement titled ‘‘Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation’’ for this Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that such statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.

Approved January 5, 2021.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

H.R. 6435:

HOUSE REPORTS: No. 116–591 (Comm. on Energy and Commerce).

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 166 (2020):

Nov. 17, considered and passed House.

Dec. 17, considered and passed Senate.