Va. A.G. Miyares Urges FTC to Create Robust Rule Outlawing Impersonation Scams

RICHMOND, Virginia, Feb. 24 — Virginia Attorney General Jason S. Miyares issued the following news release:

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, as part of a bipartisan coalition of 49 attorneys general, led by Florida, Iowa, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee, has called on the Federal Trade Commission to adopt a national rule to target impersonation scams.

A comment letter from the attorneys general raises concerns about the plethora of impersonation scams targeting consumers and the current lack of a national rule to outlaw these fraudulent acts and protect Americans.

Attorneys general serve as the front-line defense against impersonation scams, seeing first-hand the pervasive problem these acts create for consumers, small businesses, and charities in their states.

“Too often, Virginia businesses and consumers fall victim to sophisticated impersonation scammers trying to steal money, data, and personal information. That’s why I’ve joined a bipartisan coalition of 48 other attorneys general to encourage the Federal Trade Commission to crack down on fraud and create tougher anti-scamming rules that will protect Virginians,” said Attorney General Miyares.

As illustrated in the letter, impersonation scams take on many forms:

Impersonation of government entities: Fraudsters claim to be from or affiliated with a government agency to persuade victims of the urgency to provide payment to obtain licensing or certificates in document preparation or…