The United States Congress is currently considering bills and expansion on consumer protection from scams, after a recent Supreme Court ruling that says the FTC can’t seek restitution from criminals in federal court. Congresswoman Cindy Axne tells KNIA News she co-sponsored a bill to give the authority for the FTC to reimburse those affected by scams.

“We are at a time that reports of frauds and scams are on the rise, a lot of this has to do with the COVID-19 pandemic, and we need to make sure our watchdogs have every necessary tool so that victims of fraud are made whole again. So what happened was, the Supreme Court recently took away the Federal Trade Commission’s authority to ensure the bad actors who are perpetrating the fraud are forced to pay back their victims. Well they need to, because the FTC has recovered more than $11 billion in just the last three years from bad actors, including more than 65,000 Iowans get their money back.”

Axne also said those most affected by scams include older people and veterans, and protecting those is a top priority.