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April marks the one-year anniversary of the FTC’s Impersonation Rule. Here’s how impersonation scams can hurt people, and what the FTC is doing to fight back.

Impersonators pretend to be someone they’re not to try to steal your money or personal information. Scammers might pose as the government, saying you owe a fine or a toll. Or they may claim they’re from your bank, saying there’s something wrong with your account. Or they might pretend to be someone you know — like a grandchild in trouble.

Impersonation scams are, year after year, the top fraud reported to the FTC — and people reported losing nearly $3 billion to impersonators in 2024 alone.

The Impersonation Rule gives the FTC more tools to fight these scams. Since the Rule went into effect, the FTC filed multiple lawsuits against alleged impersonators. And the FTC also went after scammers impersonating the FTC online — successfully getting more than a dozen scam sites taken down.

To steer clear of impersonation scams:

  • Don’t give money or personal information to someone who contacts you unexpectedly. If you’re not sure if a call or message is real, reach out to the business, organization, or person using contact information you looked up yourself and know to be true.
  • Don’t trust your caller ID. Your caller ID might show the name of a government agency or business, but caller ID can be faked. It could be anyone calling from anywhere in the world.
  • Don’t click on links in unexpected emails, texts, or social media messages. Scammers send emails and messages that look like they’re from a government agency or business, but they’re really designed to steal your money and personal information.

Learn more about impersonation scams at ftc.gov/impersonators. And if you spot an impersonator, tell the FTC: ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

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