Source: United States Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn)
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Steven Daines (R-MT) introduced the bipartisan Protecting Consumers from Travel Fraud Act to combat fraud and scams in the travel and tourism industry. This legislation would direct the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to report to Congress on scams targeting travelers during the coronavirus pandemic. It would also require the FTC to update its website with information to help consumers identify and avoid emerging travel scams and provide policy recommendations for preventing and deterring online travel booking scams.
“As the pandemic comes to an end and people make plans to travel safely once again, we need to ensure consumers are protected from unfair and deceptive practices designed to target travelers,” said Klobuchar. “This bipartisan legislation will help protect consumers from travel scams and prevent fraudulent behavior in the travel and tourism industry moving forward.”
“As we are coming out of this pandemic, Americans are ready to resume travel and plan summer vacations. Unfortunately, we’ve seen a rise in travel scams over the last year, and it’s crucial we protect consumers from these predatory acts. I’m glad to work on a bipartisan bill that will help protect consumers and boost our travel economy,” said Daines.
This legislation was developed in response to recent reports of incidents involving scammers posing as travel or booking agents and creating fraudulent airline websites to sell fake hotel bookings and airline tickets. In a letter last month, Klobuchar and Daines asked the FTC to provide information on actions it has taken to protect and help consumers and how it plans to prevent future scams and fraudulent behavior.
As a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, Klobuchar has been a leader in the fight to protect consumers from fraud and scams.
In March, Klobuchar and Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) led a bipartisan letter with 32 colleagues urging FTC Chairman Joseph Simons to protect seniors from coronavirus-related scams, better inform consumers about scams, and assist victims in understanding their recourse options to ensure that seniors are protected from those attempting to financially exploit them during the pandemic. This follows the introduction of their legislation on the same topic, the Protecting Seniors from Emergency Scams Act.
In February, Klobuchar and Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced legislation to crack down on fraud targeted at seniors. The Seniors Fraud Prevention Act would help fight scams designed to strip seniors of their assets by directing the FTC to establish a task force dedicated to combating fraud against seniors, helping educate seniors about fraud schemes and improve monitoring and response to fraud complaints.
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