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Congress·In Committee·H.R. 7786

Rep. Buchanan Introduces Bill to Punish AI Deepfake Scammers With Up to 3 Years in Prison

AI Fraud Accountability Act

18 days ago·View on Congress.gov

Legislative Progress

House
Senate
President
Law

Key Points

  • The bill makes it a federal crime to use AI-generated deepfakes—fake voices or videos of real or imaginary people—to commit fraud. Offenders face up to 3 years in prison and fines, plus forfeiture of profits and equipment used in the crime.

    From policy text

    “it shall be unlawful for a person, in interstate or foreign communications, to falsely pose as an identifiable individual or imaginary individual, in a manner intended to be taken as genuine, in a digital impersonation, with intent to defraud a person of any money, paper, document, or thing of value.”
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  • The Federal Trade Commission gains enforcement power to treat AI-powered impersonation fraud as an unfair or deceptive practice, allowing the agency to investigate and pursue civil penalties against violators.

    From policy text

    “A violation of subsection (a) shall be treated as a violation of a rule defining an unfair or deceptive act or practice prescribed under section 18(a)(1)(B) of the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 57a(a)(1)(B)).”
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  • A working group led by NIST will bring together government agencies, law enforcement, tech companies, and AI experts to develop best practices for detecting and preventing digital impersonation fraud, publishing annual reports.

    From policy text

    “the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Director, shall convene a working group (referred to in this section as the ``Working Group'') to engage in technical discussions and research for the development of best practices and recommendations for the recognition, detection, prevention, and tracing of digital impersonations”
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  • The FTC must identify the top 10 foreign countries where AI fraud targeting Americans originates and work with those nations to cooperate on enforcement, with annual reports to Congress on progress.
  • The bill explicitly asserts extraterritorial jurisdiction, meaning U.S. authorities can pursue AI fraud cases even when the perpetrators operate from outside the country.

    From policy text

    “Extraterritorial jurisdiction.--There is extraterritorial Federal jurisdiction over an offense under paragraph (2).”
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  • A savings clause protects First Amendment rights, ensuring the law cannot be used to restrict parody, satire, journalism, or other protected speech—only deepfakes made with intent to steal money or valuables.

    From policy text

    “Nothing in this Act shall be construed to restrict parody, satire, journalism, or any other rights, privileges, or immunities protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.”
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Criminal JusticeTechnology DigitalNational Security Foreign Policy

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
Mar 4, 2026House

Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Science, Space, and Technology, and Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Mar 4, 2026

Introduced in House

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

AI Fraud Accountability Act

Bill NumberHR 7786
Congress119th Congress
ChamberHouse of Representatives
Latest ActionReferred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Science, Space, and Technology, and Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(1)
D: 1

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.