WASHINGTON, DC – American Consumer and Investor Institute (ACII) CEO Blaine Luetkemeyer today sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio applauding the Trump Administration’s strong action targeting transnational scam operations and urging additional diplomatic and enforcement measures to protect American consumers and investors.
“As you have rightly noted, Americans are losing billions of dollars each year to increasingly sophisticated scams that originate overseas,” Luetkemeyer wrote. “These scams are not isolated crimes carried out by lone actors. They are the product of coordinated, industrial-scale fraud operations, many of which are housed in ‘scam centers’ across Southeast Asia and China.
“In the letter, Luetkemeyer commends the State Department’s recognition of these criminal enterprises as a pressing economic and national security threat, citing reports that these operations function with tacit approval from certain foreign governments and often involve human trafficking victims who are coerced into targeting Americans. Luetkemeyer specifically highlights “pig-butchering” scams, which have already cost Americans more than $75 billion.
ACII urges the State Department to consider additional measures, including:
- Elevating scam networks to the level of a foreign policy priority;
- Applying diplomatic pressure, including sanctions or restrictions;
- Working with international partners to liberate trafficking victims and prosecute scam ringleaders; and
- Supporting enhanced global law enforcement coordination.
Luetkemeyer continued, “As a leading voice for America’s consumers and investors, we share your concern about the economic and human toll these scam centers inflict on our nation. We ask you to continue using the full weight of American diplomacy to demand that foreign governments shut down these criminal operations—or face consequences for their inaction.”
The full text of the letter is available here.