U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.), a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, released the following statement after the Senate unanimously passed his bipartisan Spoofing Prevention Act. The measure helps combat the use of false caller ID information to steal victims’ personal information, also known as spoofing.

“Today, the Senate dealt a huge blow to the criminals who use spoofing scams to deceive, intimidate and defraud victims, especially seniors,” Blunt said. “With spoofing scams, fraudsters are able to hijack a real phone number to impersonate a bank, law enforcement agency, retailer or other trusted source to obtain personally identifiable information. The bipartisan bill passed by the Senate today updates and expands current law to better protect seniors, and all Missourians, from these scams. I will continue working to get it to the president’s desk.”

In 2010, President Obama signed the Truth in Caller ID Act, P.L. 111-331, making it illegal for anyone to use false caller ID information for fraudulent or otherwise harmful purposes. The Spoofing Prevention Act updates that law by incorporating language Blunt previously offered in the Caller ID Scam Prevention Act of 2014, S. 2787, to cover text messages, as well as international calls.

The Spoofing Prevention Act requires the FCC to update its website to educate consumers on technological solutions to prevent spoofing, and a Government Accountability Office study on FCC and Federal Trade Commission efforts to combat spoofing.