WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Federal Trade Commission has secured more than $80 million in consumer redress through 14 enforcement actions since its Impersonation Rule took effect in 2024, as federal regulators intensify efforts to combat fraud involving businesses, government agencies and online platforms.
The agency also reported that 19 websites impersonating the FTC were removed following requests to domain registrars and other service providers. The enforcement activity comes as the commission considers expanding its regulatory approach to address how digital advertising platforms may facilitate impersonation scams.
Impersonation fraud has remained the most frequently reported category of fraud in recent years, with consumers reporting billions of dollars in losses, according to the FTC.
The Impersonation Rule allows the commission to pursue federal court actions seeking monetary relief for consumers and civil penalties against individuals or businesses that unlawfully impersonate government agencies or commercial entities.
Violations can carry civil penalties of up to $53,088 per violation, in addition to potential consumer refunds.
“Imposter scams have been the top reported fraud category over the past several years with consumers reporting billions in losses,” Christopher Mufarrige, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, stated.
Since April 2025, the commission has brought eight enforcement actions alleging violations of the rule, targeting schemes involving healthcare marketing, debt collection, tax assistance, student loans and credit repair.
Among those cases were actions against MediaAlpha and Innovative Partners over allegedly misleading government-affiliation claims in healthcare marketing.
The FTC also pursued Consumer Impact Recovery over allegations involving a fraudulent debt collection operation and Mercury Marketing over an alleged substance use disorder-treatment clinic impersonation scheme.
Other actions targeted Accelerated Debt Settlement, American Tax Service and Nerd Solutions, involving alleged misrepresentations connected to debt relief, tax assistance and student loan services.
The agency’s most recent action involved Credit Glory, which the FTC accused of operating a fraudulent credit repair business that impersonated creditors and debt collectors.
According to the commission, the alleged scheme obtained $200 million from U.S. consumers, including military service members. A federal court temporarily halted the operation and froze its assets in August 2026 at the FTC’s request.
The $200 million figure represents the FTC’s allegation concerning consumer payments in the Credit Glory case, not an amount recovered through enforcement.
Beyond litigation, the commission has worked with domain registrars and other technology service providers to remove websites falsely presenting themselves as the FTC.
Those efforts resulted in the removal of 19 websites over the past year, including domains using variations of the agency’s name and websites purporting to provide FTC complaint, support or fraud-reporting services.
The FTC has also sought the removal of social media accounts impersonating the commission or its officials.
Regulators are now examining whether online advertising technology contributes to the spread of impersonation fraud.
In September, the commission requested public comment on potential changes to its Impersonation Rule or the development of a separate rule addressing digital platforms.
The inquiry focuses on whether advertising optimization tools provided by social media companies, search engines and other online marketplaces help scammers distribute advertisements that falsely claim affiliation with legitimate businesses or government agencies.
The request for comment does not itself establish new obligations for digital platforms, but it could inform future rulemaking.
The FTC has also expanded consumer education efforts through its Never Ever campaign, launched in June in coordination with the Elder Justice Coordinating Council and federal partners, including the Justice Department and Department of Health and Human Services.
More than 140 participating organizations distributed warnings about impersonation scams through digital communications, mailings and in-store materials.
The commission said it will continue pursuing enforcement actions under the existing rule while evaluating additional measures to address impersonation fraud conducted through online advertising and other digital channels.
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