Federal investigators are warning Americans about an escalation in scams where callers claim to be FBI agents, local police or foreign diplomats, sometimes appearing on video in counterfeit uniforms or mock government offices. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center logged nearly 61,000 law-enforcement impersonation complaints between January 2025 and July 2026, with reported losses above $1.6 billion, according to Public Service Alert 260917 published September 17.
How the script works
Typical pitches accuse the target of missed jury duty, unpaid taxes or a warrant tied to identity theft. The caller demands immediate payment through wire transfer, cryptocurrency, prepaid cards or cash handoffs to a courier. To overcome skepticism, fraud rings have begun using video calls with actors in police costumes or backgrounds that mimic federal lobbies—tactics the FBI highlighted as an update to a March 2022 advisory.
A parallel scheme targets immigrant communities and international students. Impersonators claim to represent foreign law enforcement or consular officials and threaten passport cancellation or extradition unless the victim pays. IC3 recorded 1,809 complaints in that category with more than $140 million in losses in the same 18-month window.
Revictimization after you report a scam
InvestigateTV reported on September 25 that criminals monitor social media where victims mention filing FBI complaints, then contact them posing as IC3 staff who can “recover” stolen funds. The legitimate IC3 website at ic3.gov accepts tips but does not initiate outbound calls, operate social media help desks or promise refunds for a fee.
Scammers also spoof caller ID so the number matches a real federal switchboard, and the FTC has documented fake badge photos sent by text in refund-and-recovery variants. Paying a second time to fix the first loss is the most common outcome.
Red flags and verification steps
Pressure to act within minutes, secrecy demands (“do not tell your bank”) and requests for cryptocurrency or gift cards are automatic stops. Hang up, look up the agency’s public number independently—not the one on your caller ID—and call back. Local police departments will confirm whether a warrant exists in their jurisdiction.
If someone claiming to be federal law enforcement insists on payment, it is a scam by definition. The Department of Justice Elder Justice Hotline at 833-FRAUD-11 can help adults 60 and older file complaints when web forms are confusing.
After money moves
Contact your bank or credit union immediately to flag accounts, place fraud alerts and document unauthorized transfers. File reports with IC3 and local police even if recovery is unlikely; the reports feed trend analysis that drives these public alerts.
Family members should warn older relatives that badge photos in text messages are trivial to fake with image-editing tools. The FBI’s September alert is blunt: no legitimate authority will keep you on the phone while you drive to buy gold bars or withdraw cash to hand to a stranger.
Platforms and ads
The Federal Trade Commission opened a September comment period on whether digital ad platforms should face new duties when scam ads impersonate government agencies. Consumer reports to the FTC put impersonation fraud losses near $3.5 billion in 2025, a figure the agency says understates wire and crypto thefts never reported. That regulatory track runs parallel to criminal investigations but could eventually change how search and social ads are screened.
Until then, skepticism is the only filter. Treat unexpected contact from anyone with a badge—real or photographed—as a sales pitch for your savings, not a summons you must obey in the next ten minutes.
Businesses should train front-desk staff never to transfer a caller claiming to be “federal investigations” to an executive without verifying through a published agency switchboard. Fraud rings target payroll and accounts-payable teams with the same scripts used on consumers, swapping jury-duty threats for fake vendor subpoenas.