119-HR4988

Bill is currently in: House
Path to Law
House Senate President

119th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 4988

1. Short title
2. Findings
3. Issuance of letters of marque and reprisal

1. Short title

This Act may be cited as the "Scam Farms Marque and Reprisal Authorization Act of 2025".

2. Findings

The Congress finds the following:

(1) - Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution grants the Congress the power to grant letters of marque and reprisal to punish, deter, and prevent the acts of aggression and depredations and other acts of war committed by scam centers.

(2) - Criminal enterprises that employ cybercrimes and coerced labor present an unusual and extraordinary threat to the economic and national security of the United States.

3. Issuance of letters of marque and reprisal

(a) Authority of President - The President of the United States is authorized and requested to commission, under officially issued letters of marque and reprisal, so many of privately armed and equipped persons and entities as, in the judgment of the President, the service may require, with suitable instructions to the leaders thereof, to employ all means reasonably necessary to seize outside the geographic boundaries of the United States and its territories the person and property of any individual or foreign government, as applicable, who the President determines is a member of a criminal enterprise or any conspirator associated with an enterprise involved in cybercrime who is responsible for an act of aggression against the United States.

(b) Security bonds - No letter of marque and reprisal shall be issued by the President without requiring the posting of a security bond in such amount as the President shall determine is sufficient to ensure that the letter be executed according to the terms and conditions thereof.

(c) Definitions - For the purposes of this section—

(1) - the term "cybercrime" includes—

(A) - an offense under section 1030 of title 18, United States Code;

(B) - accessing a computer without authorization to obtain national security information, including sharing or retaining such information;

(C) - accessing a computer without authorization to obtain personally identifiable information;

(D) - accessing a Government computer without authorization;

(E) - accessing a computer without authorization to engage in fraud;

(F) - causing damage to a computer by transmitting a program, information, code, or command;

(G) - trafficking in passwords or other means of accessing a computer without authorization;

(H) - a pig butchering scam;

(I) - a ransomware attack;

(J) - cryptocurrency theft; or

(K) - identity theft; and

(2) - the term "criminal enterprise" includes a foreign government.