Trade Regulation Rule on Impersonation of Government and Businesses

Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to the agency docket number / agency internal file number the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR Part 461 RIN 3084-AB71 AGENCY: Federal Trade Commission. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: This final rule prohibits the impersonation of government, businesses, and their officials or agents in interstate commerce. This document contains the text of the final rule and the rule's Statement of Basis and Purpose (“SBP”), including a Regulatory Analysis. DATES: This rule is effective April 1, 2024. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christopher E. Brown (202-326-2825), Attorney, Division of Marketing Practices, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Background A. Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking On December 23, 2021, the Federal Trade Commission (“Commission” or “FTC”) published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (“ANPR”) to address certain deceptive or unfair acts or practices of impersonation. 1 As part of the ANPR, the Commission requested comment on any issues or concerns relevant or appropriate to this rulemaking to combat impersonation of governments, businesses, or their agents, and whether and how to proceed with a notice of proposed rulemaking (“NPRM”). 2 The Commission took comments for 60 days, and received 164 comments from representatives from a broad spectrum of businesses, trade associations, government or law-enforcement organizations, and individual consumers, which are p…