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Scams that impersonate well-known businesses and government agencies are consistently among the top frauds reported to the FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network. [1] In 2023, data from the FTC alone show more than 330,000 reports of business impersonation scams and nearly 160,000 reports of government impersonation scams. [2] That amounts to nearly half the frauds reported directly to the agency. [3] Combined, reported losses to these impersonation...

The FTC’s Office of Technology (“OT”) was founded in 2023 with the purpose of strengthening and supporting law enforcement investigations and actions, advising and engaging with FTC staff and the Commission on policy and research initiatives, and engaging with the public and relevant experts to understand trends and to advance the Commission’s work. 24 Members of the International Competition Network (ICN) are committed to continuing to...

It is increasingly important to use existing legal and enforcement tools in digital and technology cases and develop and implement new or updated tools and approaches to strengthen investigations and agency missions. Based on the recognition that technology is a critical piece of enforcing the laws in our respective jurisdictions, the following findings were discussed and advanced at the International Competition Network Tech Forum and will...

The FTC’s Tech Summit on AI [1] highlighted three panels that reflect different layers of the AI tech stack – hardware and infrastructure, data and models, and front-end user applications. Today, we publish the first in a three-part series of “Quote Books” summarizing each of the three panels. This first quote book is focused on hardware and infrastructure, including semiconductor chips and cloud computing. The voices of everyday Americans can...

Three recent FTC enforcement actions reflect a heightened focus on pervasive extraction and mishandling of consumers’ sensitive personal data. Proposed Settlements with Avast [1] , X-Mode [2] , and InMarket [3] In mid February, the FTC announced a proposed settlement to resolve allegations that Avast, a security software company, unfairly sold consumers’ granular and re-identifiable browsing information—information that Avast amassed through its...

To turn the old adage on its head, imitation is the insincerest form of falsity. After years of fighting back against scammers who impersonate government agencies and companies, the FTC proposed a Trade Regulation Rule on Impersonation of Government and Businesses. The Rule would allow the FTC to recover consumer redress from impersonators or to seek civil penalties against those who violate the Rule. After a painstaking process of considering...

You may have heard that “data is the new oil”—in other words, data is the critical raw material that drives innovation in tech and business, and like oil, it must be collected at a massive scale and then refined in order to be useful. And there is perhaps no data refinery as large-capacity and as data-hungry as AI. Companies developing AI products, as we have noted , possess a continuous appetite for more and newer data, and they may find that...

"I've had the blues, the reds, and the pinks. One thing’s for sure: Love stinks." Far be it from us to criticize love on Valentine’s Day, but “Love Stinks” – the 80s hit by the J. Geils Band – describes what the FTC Consumer Sentinel Data Book tells us about the injury inflicted by romance scammers. And one statistic is particularly surprising.

The FTC just issued its 2023 Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book jam-packed with facts about the kind of scams consumers have reported to us. Has the reported dollar amount lost to fraud gone up or down this year? And what are the most frequently reported scams? At this point you may ask, “I run a lawful business. Why should it matter to me?” Two reasons. First, scammers have you, your company, and your community in their sights and the Data Book can help you defend against emerging fraud trends. Second, scammers often try to mask their illegal intent by hiding behind legitimate businesses. For companies that work hard to maintain their good reputation, it’s not enough not to be a scammer. You also don’t want to be “scam-adjacent.”

At the FTC’s Tech Summit on Artificial Intelligence, Chair Khan previewed how the FTC is using its experience and expertise to establish rules of the road for AI. In her remarks, she noted that “as we continue this work, a few key principles come to mind. "First, we are focused on scrutinizing any existing or emerging bottlenecks across the AI stack. History shows that firms that capture control over key inputs or distribution channels can use...