WASHINGTON—Today, Google announced a new legislative and legal effort to stop criminals trying to hurt Americans with phishing scams. NetChoice praises Google for this endeavor to protect users from criminals online.
“NetChoice members are always fighting to protect their users from online scams and criminals, and Google’s bold legal and legislative tactics here will help the courts and FTC to take down the worst offenders,” said Steve DelBianco, NetChoice President & CEO.
“This dual effort to update public policy and take bad actors to court will make it much harder for criminals to harm Americans on digital services.”
Google is taking critical steps in the courtroom to stop “Lighthouse,” a massive, global messaging phishing operation that has harmed over 1 million victims and stolen millions of credit cards. The company is bringing charges under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, the Lanham Act, and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
In addition, NetChoice urges Congress to swiftly pass these bipartisan bills, endorsed by Google in its effort, to empower law enforcement to stop these foreign cybercriminals:
- The Guarding Unprotected Aging Retirees from Deception (GUARD) Act: This bill empowers state and local law enforcement with federal grant funding to investigate financial fraud and scams that specifically target retirees.
- The Foreign Robocall Elimination Act: This bill creates a task force focused on how to best stop foreign robocalls peddling cybercrime before they ever reach American consumers.
- The Scam Compound Accountability and Mobilization (SCAM) Act: This bill organizes a national strategy to counter scam compounds, increase sanctions and support survivors of human trafficking that suffer in these compounds.
Working together, digital services, the federal government and law enforcement can support survivors and stop foreign scam operations that are hurting Americans.
Please contact press@netchoice.org with inquiries.
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