Scammers Are Pretending to Be the FBI to Scam Victims Again
By Greg Collier
Imagine you’ve already been scammed.
You’ve lost money. You’re angry. You’re embarrassed. You report what happened because you want someone to know, and maybe you’re hoping there is some way to recover what you lost.
Then your phone rings.
The person on the other end says they’re with the FBI.
They know about the scam. They know how much you lost. They tell you they’ve recovered your money or that they can help you get it back.
Suddenly, the person who stole your money isn’t the only problem.
The person claiming they can recover it may be another scammer.
The FBI is warning that criminals are impersonating its Internet Crime Complaint Center, known as IC3, in an increasingly sophisticated fraud scheme designed to target people who have already been victimized.
And now artificial intelligence is helping make the deception even more convincing.
The Scam Begins With a Previous Scam
One of the most disturbing parts of this scheme is that criminals may not have to find a completely new victim.
They can target someone who has already lost money.
According to the FBI, scammers monitor social media and other online forums for people discussing fraud or saying they have contacted the FBI or plan to file an IC3 complaint.
That information can give criminals an opening.
The victim has already demonstrated that they are concerned about losing money. They may also be actively looking for help.
The scammer then approaches them while pretending to be someone who can provide that help.
In some cases, criminals have claimed they recovered the victim’s lost funds. In others, they have directed victims to fake IC3 websites designed to collect personal or financial information.
It’s a second scam built on the first one.
The Fake FBI Agent
The scammer may contact the victim through a phone call, email, social media, or a messaging application.
They may use the name of a real FBI employee.
They may have an official-looking profile picture.
They may provide what appears to be a legitimate government website.
And increasingly, they may even sound like a real person.
The FBI says criminals are using artificial intelligence to create convincing voices and videos. Its July 2026 warning specifically described AI-generated videos impersonating FBI personnel and promoting spoofed IC3 websites.
That means the old advice to simply listen for an obviously robotic voice isn’t enough anymore.
A scammer can sound calm, professional, and completely believable.
They can even appear to be the person they’re pretending to be.
The Fake Website Makes It Worse
The deception doesn’t necessarily stop with a phone call.
The FBI has warned about websites designed to look like the real Internet Crime Complaint Center.
A victim might see a website with government-style graphics, familiar terminology, and an official-looking complaint form.
But instead of submitting information to the FBI, the victim may be handing it directly to criminals.
The FBI says spoofed websites can be designed to collect personally identifiable information, including information that can be used to further victimize someone.
This is why the address in your browser matters.
The legitimate IC3 website is ic3.gov.
The FBI advises people to type the official address directly into their browser rather than clicking on links sent by someone claiming to represent IC3. It also warns users to watch for subtle differences in website addresses and to be particularly cautious with sponsored search results that may lead to imitator sites.
A website can look official and still be completely fake.
The Most Important Thing to Know About IC3
There is a simple fact that could stop this scam before it starts.
IC3 does not directly contact people.
The FBI says IC3 will not communicate with individuals by phone, email, social media, messaging apps, online chat, or public forums.
If additional information is needed after a complaint, the person may be contacted by FBI personnel from a local field office or another law enforcement agency.
That distinction is critical.
IC3 is the FBI’s central hub for reporting cyber-enabled crime. It collects complaints and helps route information to law enforcement. It is not a private recovery service calling victims to offer refunds.
And it certainly isn’t a service that charges victims to get their money back.
The Biggest Red Flag: They Want Money
This is where the scam should fall apart.
The FBI says IC3 will never ask you to pay money to recover lost funds.
It also will not refer you to a company that charges you to recover your money.
The FBI’s September 2026 warning about government and law enforcement impersonation scams makes the broader rule clear: legitimate law enforcement and government officials will not contact you by phone or text and demand payment.
So if someone tells you they’re an FBI agent and says you need to send money to recover your money, stop.
Don’t negotiate.
Don’t try to convince them you’re legitimate.
Don’t send a small payment just to see what happens.
Hang up.
The Scam Uses Urgency Against You
Scammers understand that victims are often emotional.
Someone who has already lost thousands of dollars may desperately want to believe that the money can be recovered.
That’s exactly what the scammer wants.
The criminal may tell the victim that the opportunity is time-sensitive. They may claim the recovered funds will disappear if paperwork isn’t completed immediately. They may say the victim needs to pay a processing fee or provide banking information before the money can be released.
The goal is to keep the victim from slowing down and checking the story.
The FBI specifically identifies fear and urgency as tools used in these impersonation schemes.
That’s why one of the most powerful things you can do when someone claiming to be law enforcement contacts you is incredibly simple.
Stop.
Take a breath.
Verify independently.
AI Has Changed the Game
For years, consumers were told to look for obvious signs of a scam.
Bad grammar.
Strange accents.
Poorly designed websites.
Robotic voices.
Those clues are becoming less reliable.
The FBI says artificial intelligence is being used to create convincing videos and voices that impersonate government officials and other trusted people. Criminals can use these tools during video calls or private communications to make victims believe they are interacting with a real person.
That doesn’t mean you should automatically distrust every phone call or video.
It means you shouldn’t use someone’s voice, appearance, or apparent professionalism as proof of identity.
A convincing performance is still just a performance.
Other Red Flags
Be extremely cautious if someone claims to be an FBI agent or other government official:
- Contacts you unexpectedly through social media or a messaging app.
- Claims to work for IC3 and contacts you directly.
- Says they have recovered your money.
- Offers to recover money for a fee.
- Demands payment to release or recover funds.
- Wants cryptocurrency, gift cards, wire transfers, or other unusual forms of payment.
- Sends you a link to an unfamiliar government-looking website.
- Requests sensitive personal or financial information.
- Pressures you to act immediately.
- Tells you not to contact anyone else about the situation.
Any one of these circumstances deserves scrutiny. Several appearing together should be a major warning.
Quick Tip: The FBI Doesn’t Need Your Money. If someone claiming to be with the FBI says you need to pay them to recover money from a previous scam, stop communicating with them.
The Numbers Show How Big the Problem Is
This isn’t an isolated trick.
The FBI reported that between January 2025 and July 2026, IC3 received nearly 61,000 complaints involving law enforcement or government impersonation scams, with reported losses exceeding $1.6 billion.
Those numbers cover government and law enforcement impersonation scams broadly, not just criminals pretending to be IC3.
But they illustrate why consumers should take these schemes seriously.
The scammer doesn’t necessarily need to convince you they’re a financial expert.
They just need you to believe they’re someone with authority.
If You Think You’ve Been Targeted
If someone has contacted you claiming to represent IC3 or the FBI, stop communicating with them.
Save the evidence.
Keep the emails, text messages, phone numbers, social media profiles, website addresses, and payment information. Don’t delete the conversations simply because they’re fraudulent.
If you lost money, contact your financial institution immediately and explain what happened.
The FBI advises victims of impersonation schemes to notify their financial institutions, contact local law enforcement, and file a complaint with IC3.
And if you need to file an IC3 complaint, go directly to ic3.gov rather than following a link someone sends you.
You can also report impersonation fraud to the Federal Trade Commission through its official fraud-reporting system. The FTC likewise warns that government agencies do not demand payment through gift cards, cryptocurrency, or wire transfers.
The Scam After the Scam
There is something particularly cruel about this scheme.
The victim has already been hurt.
They have already trusted someone who turned out to be a criminal. They may be angry, embarrassed, or desperate to get their money back.
Then another criminal comes along and exploits those exact emotions.
The FBI impersonation makes the second scam seem legitimate because the victim believes they’re finally talking to someone who can help.
But the real FBI doesn’t need you to pay a fee to recover your money.
IC3 doesn’t contact victims through social media.
A government-looking website isn’t necessarily a government website.
And these days, even a familiar face or convincing voice isn’t proof that the person on the other end is who they claim to be.
The safest response when someone unexpectedly claims to be the FBI is not to panic.
Stop. Hang up. Verify independently.
If the person demanding your money really is a federal agent, taking a few minutes to verify their identity won’t turn them into a scammer.
If they’re a scammer, those few minutes could save you from becoming a victim twice.
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