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On February 15, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) unanimously finalized its Government and Business Impersonation Rule, which will target scammers who impersonate businesses and government entities.
This rule will give the FTC much stronger tools to go after those who target the business events industry with impersonation scams including:
- Hotel reservation scams.
- Attendee list sale scams.
What's new? The FTC will be able to directly file court cases aimed at forcing scammers to return the money they made from impersonation scams that:
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Use business logos when communicating with consumers by mail or online.
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Spoof business emails and web addresses, including using lookalike email addresses or websites that rely on misspellings of a company’s name.
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Falsely imply business affiliation by using terms that are known to be affiliated with a business.
Advocacy works: ECA, its alliance partners, and industry leaders—including the Consumer Technology Association, the American Society of Association Executives, and IAEE's Major American Trade Show Organizers group—have been advocating in support of this new rule for more than two years including:
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Submitting multiple comment letters.
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Testifying at an informal FTC hearing last May.
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Supporting a coalition effort that resulted in a letter signed by 235 groups.
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Highlighting the issue for members of Congress during ECA’s 2023 Legislative Action Day, which generated additional Congressional support.
What's next? The final Government and Business Impersonation Rule will be published in the Federal Register later today, which means that it will become effective on April 1.
Go deeper: Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance Applauds Federal Trade Commission for Finalizing Anti-Impersonation Fraud Rule.
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