Fake cops, real losses: FBI warns of $1.6B impersonation scam
Demanding payment in cryptocurrency to avoid legal trouble is a major red flag.
An FBI detective using a laptop. Image by urbazon/Getty Images
- The FBI says government impersonation scams caused more than $1.6 billion in reported losses.
- Scammers pose as officials and demand urgent payments through crypto, prepaid cards, wires, couriers, or cash.
- Victims are often threatened with arrest, legal trouble, or professional consequences if they do not pay quickly.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
Scammers are impersonating US and foreign law enforcement and government officials to extort money or extract personally identifiable information (PII) from victims.
Between January 2025 and July 2026, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received around 61,000 complaints of law enforcement or government impersonation scams, causing more than $1.6 billion in losses.
Scammers operate in much the same way. First, they contact victims through unsolicited messages, such as phone calls, text messages, or emails. To project confidence and trustworthiness, the fraudsters spoof authentic phone numbers, email addresses, and credentials of well-known law enforcement or government agencies.
Next, the scammers address their victims in an urgent or aggressive tone to demand payment via prepaid cards, couriers, bank wires, cryptocurrency, or cash inserted into cryptocurrency kiosks. The victims are also told that they can’t tell family, friends, financial institutions, or law enforcement authorities about the call.
To ramp up the pressure, victims are being accused of wrongdoing while being threatened with severe legal consequences if they don’t act immediately.
For example, some victims have been made to believe that they failed to report for jury duty or missed a court date. As a result, an arrest warrant awaits them unless payment is made. Between January 2025 and July 2026, the IC3 received 6,883 complaints involving this kind of scam, leading to approximately $36 million in losses.
Sometimes, scammers tailor their tactics for specific types of victims, such as medical practitioners with a supposedly expiring medical license. The impostors have also been seen wearing fake police uniforms and mock sets of official government facilities to look and play the part.
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“Scammers use new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, to support their impersonation schemes. These technologies allow scammers to appear as law enforcement and government officials on video calls with victims, adding the appearance of legitimacy to the scam,” the IC3’s public service announcement warns.
One way to protect yourself from these kinds of scams is to remember that law enforcement and government authorities never contact citizens via text message or demand any payment via prepaid cards, cryptocurrency, or courier.
It’s also recommended never to hand over your personal information to anyone without first verifying that the person is who they say they are. If you’ve been sent a webpage URL, make sure it matches the official domain of the law enforcement or government agency.
