Stop the Scammers Act

Financial Incentives for Whistleblowers: Individuals who provide original information that leads to successful enforcement can receive awards. These awards are set at an aggregate amount between 10 percent and 30 percent of the civil money penalties collected (Section 2(b)(1)).

Guaranteed Minimum Awards: For actions where the Bureau collects less than $1,000,000 in penalties, a single whistleblower is entitled to an award that is at least 10 percent of the penalties or $50,000, whichever is greater (Section 2(b)(3)).

Protection of Identity: The Bureau and its employees are prohibited from disclosing information that could reasonably be expected to reveal a whistleblower's identity, providing a layer of confidentiality (Section 2(h)(1)(A)).

Legal Representation: Whistleblowers have the right to be represented by counsel when making a claim for an award (Section 2(d)(1)).

Protection of Rights: The bill ensures that the rights and remedies provided are not diminished by any other Federal or State law (Section 2(h)(2)).

Unenforceability of Waivers: The bill states that the rights and remedies provided cannot be waived by employment agreements or policies, including predispute arbitration agreements (Section 2(l)(1)).

Denial of Awards for Certain Individuals: Awards will not be made to whistleblowers who are members, officers, or employees of certain entities, those convicted of criminal violations related to the action, or those found liable for the conduct in question (Section 2(c)(2)).

Denial for Redundant Information: An award will not be granted to a whistleblower who submits information that was previously submitted by another whistleblower (Section 2(c)(2)(E)).

Risk of Prosecution for Falsehoods: Any whistleblower who knowingly and willfully makes false or fraudulent statements or uses false documents is not entitled to an award and may be subject to prosecution (Section 2(k)).

Requirement for Identity Disclosure: Before an award is paid, a whistleblower must disclose their identity to the Bureau (Section 2(d)(2)(B)).