The FTC wants to know whether online platforms should pay a price when scammers use their ad tools. [The FTC issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking seeking public comment on rules for search engines, social media and other digital marketplaces that further government and business impersonation scams](https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2026-20143).
The public has a deadline to weigh in. Comments must arrive on or before Nov. 30, 2026.
Key facts
- The FTC is asking for comment on rules for platforms that further impersonation scams.
- Comments are due by Nov. 30, 2026.
- Consumers reported losing about $16 billion to fraud in 2025, up 25% from 2024.
- Impersonation is the top fraud reported to the agency, with over 1 million imposter reports and nearly $3.5 billion in losses last year.
- The agency is asking whether platforms should be made to internalize the cost of optimizing fraudulent ads.
Background
The FTC already has a rule on the books. The current Impersonation Rule, finalized in March 2024, bans pretending to be a government agency, a business, or their officers or agents.
That rule stopped short of covering the tools scammers use. In the 2024 rulemaking, the Commission weighed a ban on providing the means and instrumentalities for impersonation but did not adopt it.
The scale of fraud is the driver. The FTC said consumers reported about $16 billion in fraud losses in 2025, a 25% jump over 2024. Adjusted for underreporting, the agency estimated the true cost of fraud in 2024 at up to $195.9 billion.
Impersonation leads the list. The agency got over 1 million imposter reports last year, with losses of nearly $3.5 billion.
What the FTC is asking
The notice focuses on the business of ad targeting. The FTC said platforms profit from optimizing online ads for third parties whether or not those third parties are legitimate.
The Commission is asking whether a rule should require platforms to internalize the cost of optimizing fraudulent ads. In plain terms, it wants views on whether platforms should carry some of the cost when their ad systems help scams reach people.
[Under the current rule, a protected business includes corporations, partnerships, associations and nonprofits that provide goods or services, and an officer includes executives, officials, employees and agents](https://www.ecfr.gov/api/renderer/v1/content/enhanced/current/title-16?part=461).
What it means for you
For consumers, the notice is a chance to tell regulators how impersonation scams have affected them. For businesses that advertise online, and for the platforms themselves, it signals the agency is looking at the ad systems that deliver scam ads.
This is an early step. An advance notice asks questions; it does not set new rules.
Scammers who pose as a company can target its customers as well as its staff. Businesses that want help with that risk can look at cybersecurity services or managed IT support. For more on protecting work devices, see why the antivirus on your work computers is not enough.
Practical steps
- Read the notice in the Federal Register.
- File comments online at regulations.gov or on paper.
- Mark paper comments "16 CFR part 461 - Impersonation Rule, Matter No. R207000".
- Make sure comments arrive by Nov. 30, 2026.
What happens next
Whether or when the FTC will propose actual rule text is not known. Which platforms a final rule would cover is also not known.
The notice is Federal Register document 2026-20143 (91 FR 62347), RIN 3084-AB90. Hong Park and Elyse McNamara, attorneys in the Division of Enforcement of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, are listed as contacts.
