THE CAUSE:  Romance Scammers are all over social media networks. These scammers primarily use pictures, names, and valor of men and women who are actively serving in our military, retired or are deceased. Other prime targets for the scamming are Celebrities and other high-profile names. The scammers are aware of how highly Americans think and feel for their military, and they use this to pull at the heartstrings of vulnerable men and women. Our co-founder at Advocating Against Romance Scammers, Bryan Denny, a retired Colonel from the United States Army whose pictures, name, and child have been used in the scammer's story, We have realized just what an epidemic this is. Unfortunately, many victims are afraid, ashamed, and embarrassed to come forward. Many want to forget about the scam and move on with their lives. That is why we bring this petition to you. Due to the overwhelming number of fraudulent accounts throughout social media and the unidentified number of victims, we need to be the voice.  Social Media has a great amount of power, and with power comes an abundance of responsibility.

THE BATTLE:  Because the majority of military romance scammers reside in other countries, the United States has very little jurisdiction over these criminals, therefore, we must work from where and what we know, and that is through the United States and our legislative system. We are looking to encourage social media sites to provide more public service announcements by way of television, movie theater ads, magazines, radio, etc., provide additional manpower to their fraudulent account tracking system, and upgrade their technology (or use how it should be intended) to recognize the duplicated accounts that are recreated moments to hours after being deleted. 

OUR PROPOSAL: We are working hard to find a Champion to take on our proposal to amend the 230 Communications Decency Act of 1996 with a focus on identity theft or formulate like-minded bills. When the CDA 230 was signed into law over 25 years ago, there was little to no thought of the criminal activity that could or would be covered under this law. The law inadvertently awarded social media companies a "get out of jail free" card; in other words, they are not held responsible for anything posted to their site by a third party (their users). Sites like all Meta-owned platforms, Linkedin, gaming sites, and encrypted messengers are used as breeding grounds. And yes, the social media companies are fully aware. We are not people who promote regulation; however, it is very obvious, in previous news stories and our investigation, that self-regulation is not the answer to consumer safety and security. We propose routine technology upgrades, additional staff to match the growing population, and ongoing up-to-date education. Items that are not successfully being done under self-regulation.

PERSONAL NOTE: I, Kathy Waters, Executive Director of Advocating Against Romance Scammers, am a very proud daughter to a mother who served in our Navy and a brother and father who served in our Army. I also have multiple cousins, aunts, and uncles who have served, and the thought of our military being abused and disrespected is appalling! My mother's friend fell victim to a scammer using the pictures of our co-founder Bryan Denny, thus being the reason I have become so involved. Like many others, I had no idea what an epidemic this has become and what little is being done. Social Media needs to take on more responsibility for this breeding ground than they already have, not just for the sake of the victims but for our security and Military, whose job is to protect us. What security is social media providing them?  Scammers are the cancer of the social media world and it's time our companies and legislature took a stand and initiative to help prevent such illness within our military community and everyday victims.