FTC commissioner warns AI is amplifying impersonation scams, outlines enforcement, research and education steps

Melissa Holyoak, Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission, told a Hinckley Institute of Politics forum at the University of Utah that artificial intelligence is making impersonation and other frauds more sophisticated and urged consumers to report scams to the FTC.

Holyoak said the FTC's mission combines consumer protection and antitrust work across three bureaus and that the agency is using enforcement, private‑sector innovation, research and public education to address AI‑enabled fraud. "Even though the name has the word trade in it, we do not deal with tariffs at all. What we deal with are unfair trade practices," she said, describing the FTC's focus on deception, misrepresentation and anticompetitive conduct.

The commissioner described several AI‑amplified schemes and offered concrete examples. She recounted a case in which a corporate finance officer in Hong Kong authorized a $25 million transfer after receiving real‑time, AI‑generated impersonations of colleagues and executives. She also described international romance‑scam cases in which deepfake audio and video and chatbot interactions persuaded victims to send large sums; Holyoak said one French victim sent $800,000 after receiving AI‑generated content.

Holyo…