Coalition Led by EPIC Applauds FTC Modifications to Impersonation Scam Rule

Earlier this week, EPIC, joined by a coalition of five additional consumer advocacy organizations, applauded the Federal Trade Commission’s proposed modifications to its impersonation rule to (1) cover impersonation of individuals and not merely impersonation of government or business entities, which the coalition had proposed two years ago, and to (2) hold businesses who facilitate those scams liable when they know or should have known their products or services were being used to perpetuate impersonation scams. The coalition also encouraged the FTC to include impersonation of affiliation and not merely of identity in its rule, to unlock civil penalty authority for a well-established deceptive practice (e.g. pretending to be affiliated with doctors or veterans). EPIC routinely participates in regulatory and legislative processes concerning scam prevention, files amicus briefs in robocall cases, and recently published a report with NCLC on robocall scams.