FTC Seeks Public Comment on Imposter Ads Mimicking Businesses and Government Agencies: Deadline November 30
Washington: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said in a consumer alert on November 2 that scammers are paying to place ads in social media feeds, search results and shopping platforms that impersonate well-known businesses and government agencies, hoping people will think the imposter ads are real and click on them. The FTC said it is exploring additional ways to protect consumers from these ads and wants to hear from the public, with comments due by November 30, 2026.
The FTC said social media, search engines and shopping sites use sophisticated tools to target ads based on age, browsing history and online shopping habits, and that while companies pay to place ads connecting people to legitimate products and services, scammers are now paying too, and people are losing big money. The existing Impersonation Rule prohibits the impersonation of government agencies and businesses, and the FTC is considering updates to the rule or a new rule to increase accountability for social media, search engines and other digital marketplace platforms that further impersonation scams.
The options the FTC asked about include requiring platforms to vet advertisers and ads before ads are posted, giving people a way to report ads they think are impersonating a business or the government, and investigating suspected impersonation ads and removing those that turn out to be scams.
The FTC said people have until November 30 to review and comment online or in writing, and pointed readers to its consumer alert page for how to submit comments. (Source: Federal Trade Commission)
Source: Federal Trade Commission
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于华盛顿的联邦贸易委员会总部 Apex Building。Harrison Keely 摄，CC BY 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The Apex Building, headquarters of the Federal Trade Commission in Washington. By Harrison Keely, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
