Americans Alerted to Scammers Posing as FBI Employees
Impostors are posing as agents from the FBI’s internet-crime unit, asserting that they have retrieved the victim’s lost finances.
The FBI has alerted the public to the existence of scammers pretending to be part of the bureau’s crime complaint unit, deceitfully claiming to assist victims in recovering stolen funds.
Having received over 100 complaints in the last two years regarding scammers impersonating workers from the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), the bureau noted that “nearly all complainants reported that the impostors claimed to have retrieved the victim’s lost funds or offered assistance in doing so.”
According to the agency, victims often first encounter these scammers through emails, phone calls, or via social media and forums. In a notable case, a scammer created false social media profiles featuring female images, joining groups of fraud victims and attempting to impersonate actual victims, the FBI reported.
“The scammers then instruct real victims to contact a male persona, ‘Jaime Quin,’ who claims to be the supposed ‘Chief Director’ of IC3, through Telegram,” the notice explained. “Once contacted, Quin asserts he has recovered their lost funds, but uses this as a ploy to access their financial information and further exploit them.”
While fraudsters may alter names, aliases, and methods, the underlying scheme remains largely consistent, the FBI added.
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The FBI stated that its IC3 division will never initiate contact with individuals through phone calls, emails, social media, or forums. Contact from FBI employees stationed at field offices or other law enforcement personnel will occur only if more information is required regarding a criminal case. Additionally, IC3 officials will not request any payment in order to retrieve lost funds.
“Refrain from sending money, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or any other assets to individuals you do not know personally or have only met online or via phone,” the FBI cautioned, urging people not to disclose sensitive information to those encountered online or over the phone.
“Scammers frequently manipulate caller ID information, and these fraudulent calls can appear to originate from an agency’s legitimate number. Recipients should hang up immediately and report such calls,” emphasized the FBI.
