Scam Farms Marque and Reprisal Authorization Act of 2025

This bill, H.R. 4988, authorizes the President to issue letters of marque and reprisal with respect to acts of aggression against the United States by members of a criminal enterprise or any conspirator associated with an enterprise involved in cybercrimes.

Key Points

The bill is aimed at punishing, deterring, and preventing acts of aggression and depredations committed by scam centers through the use of letters of marque and reprisal.
The President is authorized to commission privately armed and equipped persons and entities to seize outside the geographic boundaries of the United States the person and property of individuals or foreign governments responsible for such acts.
The bill defines cybercrime as a broad range of offenses, including hacking, fraud, ransomware attacks, cryptocurrency theft, identity theft, and others.
The term ‘criminal enterprise’ includes a foreign government.

Details

The bill finds that criminal enterprises involved in cybercrimes present an unusual and extraordinary threat to the economic and national security of the United States. It grants the President the authority to issue letters of marque and reprisal, a power granted by the Constitution, to address these threats.

The bill requires a security bond for the issuance of each letter of marque and reprisal, and it defines terms such as ‘cybercrime’ and ‘criminal enterprise’.

Source: https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/BILLS-119hr4988ih