[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2950 Reported in Senate (RS)]
<DOC>
Calendar No. 244
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2950
To require the Secretary of State and relevant executive branch
agencies to address international scam compounds defrauding people in
the United States, to hold significant transnational criminal
organizations accountable, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 30, 2025
Mr. Cornyn (for himself, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Scott of Florida, Ms.
Duckworth, and Mr. Ricketts) introduced the following bill; which was
read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
October 30, 2025
Reported by Mr. Risch, with an amendment
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed
in italic]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of State and relevant executive branch
agencies to address international scam compounds defrauding people in
the United States, to hold significant transnational criminal
organizations accountable, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
<DELETED>SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.</DELETED>
<DELETED> This Act may be cited as the ``Scam Compound
Accountability and Mobilization Act''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.</DELETED>
<DELETED> It is the sense of Congress that--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) transnational cyber-enabled fraud,
particularly perpetrated from scam compounds in Southeast Asia,
is a growing threat to citizens of the United States, national
security, and economic interests globally, with the Federal
Bureau of Investigation reporting $13,700,000,000 in losses in
the United States due to cyber-enabled fraud in 2024, including
schemes commonly perpetrated by significant transnational
criminal organizations operating scam compounds;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) significant transnational criminal
organizations responsible for a large proportion of these scam
compounds are affiliated with the People's Republic of China
(PRC), actively spread PRC propaganda, promote unification with
Taiwan, and have brokered projects for the Belt and Road
Initiative;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) significant transnational criminal
organizations have lured hundreds of thousands of human
trafficking victims from over 40 countries to scam compounds,
primarily in Burma, Cambodia, and Laos, for purposes of forced
criminality;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) significant transnational criminal
organizations are expanding scam compounds internationally
including in Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and the
Pacific Islands, and related money laundering, human
trafficking and recruitment fraud have occurred in Europe,
North America, and South America;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (5) the United States should redouble efforts to
hold the perpetrators and enablers of scam compound operations
accountable, including those involved in related money
laundering, human trafficking, and recruitment fraud, by
employing tools, such as targeted financial sanctions, visa
restrictions, asset seizures, and forfeiture;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (6) to effectively address cyber-enabled fraud
originating from scam compounds internationally, the United
States Government should work with partner governments,
multilateral institutions, civil society experts, and private
sector stakeholders to improve information sharing, strengthen
preventative measures, raise public awareness, and increase
coordination on law enforcement investigations and regulatory
actions; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (7) survivors of human trafficking, including
forced criminality, require victim-centered support to ensure
they are not punished for offenses committed under
duress.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (a) In General.--In this Act:</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The
term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of
the Senate;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) the Committee on the Judiciary of the
Senate;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) the Committee on Banking, Housing, and
Urban Affairs of the Senate;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (D) the Select Committee on Intelligence
of the Senate;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (E) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of
the House of Representatives;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (F) the Committee on the Judiciary of the
House of Representatives;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (G) the Committee on Financial Services of
the House of Representatives; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (H) the Permanent Select Committee on
Intelligence of the House of Representatives.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) Cyber-enabled fraud.--The term ``cyber-enabled
fraud'' means the use of the internet or other technology to
commit fraudulent activity, including illicitly obtaining
money, property, data, identification documents, or
authentication features, or creating counterfeit goods or
services.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) Enabling country.--The term ``enabling
country'' means a country where--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) government authorities actively or
implicitly permit, enable, or perpetuate scam compound
operations; or</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) ineffective law enforcement or a
failure to enact legislation intended to prevent
facilitating services from reaching scam compounds or
significant transnational criminal organizations
enables scam compound operators to obtain facilitating
services.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) Forced criminality.--The term ``forced
criminality'' means a form of forced labor for the purpose of
causing the victim to engage in criminal activity, which may
include cyber-enabled fraud.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (5) Forced labor.--The term ``forced labor'' has
the meaning given the term severe form of trafficking in
persons in section 103(11)(B) of the Trafficking Victims
Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7102(11)(B)).</DELETED>
<DELETED> (6) Relevant foreign assistance programs and
diplomatic efforts.--The term ``relevant foreign assistance
programs and diplomatic efforts''--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) means unclassified voluntary support
programs funded directly by the United States
Government that provide assistance to one or more
foreign countries for the purpose of combating scam
compound operations and related significant
transnational criminal organizations; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) excludes intelligence activities,
including activities authorized by the President and
reported to Congress in accordance with section 503 of
the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C.
3093).</DELETED>
<DELETED> (7) Human trafficking.--The term ``human
trafficking'' has the meaning given the term severe form of
trafficking in persons in section 103(11) of the Trafficking
Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7102(11)).</DELETED>
<DELETED> (8) Human trafficking victim.--The terms ``human
trafficking victim'' and ``victim of human trafficking'' mean a
person subject to an act or practice described in section
103(11) of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22
U.S.C. 7102(11)).</DELETED>
<DELETED> (9) Impacted country.--The term ``impacted
country'' means a country that is a significant--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) transit location for victims of human
trafficking to scam compounds;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) source location for victims of human
trafficking for scam compounds; or</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) target of cyber-enabled fraud
originating from scam compounds
internationally.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (10) Scam compound.--The term ``scam compound''
means a physical installation where a significant transnational
criminal organization carries out cyber-enabled fraud
operations, frequently using victims of human trafficking and
forced criminality.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (11) Significant transnational criminal
organization.--The term ``significant transnational criminal
organization'' means a group of persons that--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) includes one or more foreign
person;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) engages in or facilitates an ongoing
pattern of serious criminal activity involving the
jurisdictions of at least two foreign states or one
foreign state and the United States; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) threatens the national security,
foreign policy, or economy of the United
States.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (12) Strategy.--The term ``Strategy'' means the
strategy to counter scam compounds and hold significant
transnational criminal organizations accountable required under
section 4.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (b) Rule of Construction.--The definitions under this
section are exclusive to this Act and may not be construed to affect
any other provision of United States law.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 4. STRATEGY TO COUNTER SCAM COMPOUNDS AND HOLD
SIGNIFICANT TRANSNATIONAL CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS
ACCOUNTABLE.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the
Attorney General, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the heads of other
Federal departments and agencies, shall submit to the appropriate
congressional committees a comprehensive strategy that--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) is designed to counter scam compounds and hold
significant transnational criminal organizations
accountable;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) is global in scope; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) may prioritize efforts focused on Southeast
Asian countries where scam compound operations are most
prevalent.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (b) Contents.--The Strategy shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) articulate a comprehensive problem statement
identifying the structural vulnerabilities exploited by
significant transnational criminal organizations operating scam
compounds;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) develop a comprehensive list of enabling
countries and impacted countries;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) identify all active executive branch relevant
foreign assistance programs and diplomatic efforts underway to
address scam compounds, significant transnational criminal
organizations connected to scam compounds, and related money
laundering, human trafficking and forced criminality, including
efforts with enabling countries and impacted
countries;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) identify relevant foreign assistance resources
needed to fully implement the Strategy and any obstacles to the
response of the Federal Government to scam compounds, including
coordination with partner governments, to address the human
trafficking, including forced criminality, and money laundering
that facilitates and sustains scam compound
operations;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (5) include objectives, activities, and
performance indicators regarding the response of the Federal
Government to scam compounds, including--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) the prevention of recruitment fraud
and human trafficking, including by--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (i) engaging private sector
entities operating internet platforms or other
services that can be abused or exploited to
perpetrate recruitment fraud, human trafficking
or cyber-enabled fraud;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ii) raising awareness among at-
risk populations to identify common recruitment
fraud strategies and improve due diligence and
self-protection measures;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (iii) urging governments to
monitor and enforce laws against fraudulent and
unlawful recruitment practices; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (iv) sharing information and
building awareness among foreign counterparts,
including law enforcement and border officials,
to identify potential human trafficking
victims;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) the support for survivors of human
trafficking and forced criminality under the direction
of the Ambassador at Large to Monitor and Combat
Trafficking in Persons;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) the enhancement of coordination and
strengthening the capabilities of partner governments
and law enforcement agencies;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (D) the use of sanctions, visa
restrictions, and other accountability measures against
enabling countries, significant transnational criminal
organizations, and related third-party facilitators of
scam compound operations;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (E) the support of partner governments in
countering corruption and money laundering related to
scam compound operations; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (F) the investigation of PRC connections
to significant transnational criminal organizations
operating scam compounds.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (c) Limitation.--Nothing in the Strategy may affect, apply
to, or create obligations related to past, present, or future criminal
or civil law enforcement or intelligence activities of the United
States or the law enforcement activities of any State or subdivision of
a State.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 5. ESTABLISHING A TASK FORCE TO IMPLEMENT THE
STRATEGY.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after submitting
the Strategy pursuant to section 4(a), the Secretary of State, in
consultation with the Attorney General, the Secretary of the Treasury,
and the heads of other Federal departments and agencies, shall
establish an interagency task force (referred to in this section as the
``Task Force'')--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) to coordinate the implementation of the
Strategy;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) to conduct regular monitoring and analysis of
scam compound operations internationally;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) to track and evaluate progress toward the
objectives, activities, and performance indicators of the
Strategy described in section 4(b)(5); and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) to update the Strategy, in consultation with
the appropriate congressional committees, as needed.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (b) Annual Reviews and Reports.--Not later than one year
after the establishment of the Task Force, and not less frequently than
annually thereafter, the Secretary of State and the Attorney General,
in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury and the heads of
other Federal departments and agencies, shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) conduct a status review of the Strategy and
the overall state of scam compounds operated by significant
transnational criminal organizations;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) include a list of enabling countries and
impacted countries; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) submit the results of such review in a public
report to the appropriate congressional committees, which may
contain a classified annex.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (c) Task Force Termination.--The Task Force shall
terminate on the date that is six years after the date on which it is
established.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 6. STRENGTHENING TOOLS TO DISMANTLE SCAM COMPOUNDS AND
HOLD SIGNIFICANT TRANSNATIONAL CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS
ACCOUNTABLE.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (a) Imposition of Sanctions With Respect to Significant
Actors in Scam Compound Operations.--Beginning on and after the date
that is 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the
President may impose the sanctions described in subsection (b) with
respect to any foreign person that the President determines--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) has materially assisted in, or provided
significant financial or technological support to, or provided
significant goods or services in support of, the activities of
international scam compounds or enabling services, including
recruitment fraud, human trafficking (including forced
criminality), cyber-enabl