Criminologist: TRAPS Act would protect the vulnerable from financial scams | Opinion

In law enforcement, we’ve always known criminals evolve — and now, they’ve gone digital.

A keystroke criminal has replaced the old-school bank robber. And in 2025, it’s not just Wall Street or Silicon Valley being targeted — it’s Main Street, USA.

That’s why I applaud Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran for serving as an original co-sponsor to the bipartisan TRAPS Act — the Task Force for Recognizing and Averting Payment Scams.

This legislation isn’t just overdue; it’s essential.

Payment scams have become the new frontier of organized criminal activity, with losses nationwide skyrocketing to $12.5 billion — a 25% increase in just one year.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, nearly 15,000 fraud reports were filed in Kansas last year, culminating in more than $59 million in total losses. These are not just statistics; they shattered retirements, drained life savings and violated trust.

As a former law enforcement executive with experience at the local, state, and federal levels, I’ve seen how scammers operate.

They exploit loneliness, fear, and confusion, especially among our elderly population.

From romance scams to phony investment pitches, to AI-generated phone calls of loved ones asking for money, these criminals are modern-day predators cloaked in digital anonymity.

Moran nailed it when he said we must better equip law enforcement and regulators with the tools to go after these scammers.

The TRAPS Act does exactly that. It brings together the Treasury Department, the Federal Trade Commission, the Justice Department, the Federal Communications Commission and key financial industry leaders under one roof — a full-court press against financial crime.

This task force will create actionable, coordinated strategies, bridging the massive gap between government regulation, law enforcement, and tech-savvy criminals.

And let’s be blunt: The current piecemeal approach isn’t working.

Right now, fraud victims bounce between agencies like a bureaucratic pinball machine.

State and local law enforcement often lack the resources or jurisdiction to pursue transnational digital fraudsters. Meanwhile, federal regulators can’t keep pace with ever-changing scam tactics emerging from call centers overseas or hackers embedded in dark web forums.

The TRAPS Act proposes an annual review of fraud trends, interagency coordination, and a unified strategy to detect and prevent scams across all levels of government and industry.

In conservative terms: It’s a leaner, smarter, more accountable government solution to a real and growing problem. This isn’t big government, it’s government.

As Sen. Moran said, “Combating the global rise in fraud starts with making certain federal regulators and law enforcement agencies are coordinating effectively.”

This bill does just that, while reinforcing a central conservative tenet — protecting taxpayers from criminal exploitation.

Importantly, this legislation also garners support from across the ideological and industrial spectrum.

The American Bankers Association, American Association of Retired Persons, Zelle’s parent company Early Warning Services, the Electronic Transactions Association, and the Consumer Bankers Association all back the TRAPS Act.

That’s not just consensus, that’s a coalition. When Main Street banks, federal regulators, and conservative lawmakers are all pulling in the same direction, it’s a signal that this issue transcends politics.

But the TRAPS Act is more than a paper solution. It’s about prevention.

By integrating law enforcement with the financial industry and regulators, we move from reactive policing to proactive disruption. And that’s exactly how we beat 21st-century criminals — by getting out in front of them.

As a conservative applied criminologist, I often advocate for smarter, more efficient use of government resources in all my published works.

The TRAPS Act fits that mold. It’s collaborative, not bloated. It promotes accountability, not red tape. And it targets the real enemy: the scammers who are siphoning billions from hardworking Americans every year.

These scams are no longer isolated cons. They are systematic, professional, transnational, and ruthless.

And unless we respond in kind — with strategy, unity, and force — we will continue to bleed financially, morally, and socially.

It’s time we treat payment scams like the national security threat they are.

The TRAPS Act gives us a shot at turning the tide. Let’s take it.