What happened
On October 29, the FTC reported that imposter scams have been the top reported fraud category for several years. Since the Impersonation Rule took effect in 2024, the agency has brought 14 cases, removed 19 sites pretending to be the FTC and secured more than $80 million in refunds. The rule covers scammers who pretend to be a business or a government agency. In September the FTC asked for public comment on how online ad tools may help scammers copy legitimate businesses.
Why it matters to your business
Small businesses get impersonated too: fake websites, look-alike email addresses and fake support numbers that use your name. Your customers lose money and you lose their trust, even though you did nothing wrong.
What I'd do
- Search your business name plus "login", "support" and "refund" once a month and look for sites that aren't yours. 2) Tell customers, on your site and in your email footer, how you will and won't contact them (for example: we never ask for payment by gift card). 3) Report copycats at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. 4) Make sure your email domain has SPF, DKIM and DMARC set so others can't easily send as you.
Source: FTC press releases, 2026-10-29.