The FBI warns that scammers impersonating FBI Web Crime Criticism Heart (IC3) workers provide to “assist” fraud victims get well cash misplaced to different scammers.
Over the past two years, between December 2023 and February 2025, the FBI stated it has acquired over 100 stories of fraudsters utilizing this tactic.
“Complainants report preliminary contact from the scammers can range. Some people acquired an e mail or a telephone name, whereas others have been approached by way of social media or boards,” the legislation enforcement company warned in a Friday public service announcement.
“Virtually all complainants indicated the scammers claimed to have recovered the sufferer’s misplaced funds or supplied to help in recovering funds. Nonetheless, the declare is a ruse to revictimize those that have already misplaced cash to scams.”
In a latest instance of such an impersonation scheme, scammers created feminine persona profiles on social media networking websites and joined teams for monetary fraud victims, pretending to be fellow victims.
They then really useful that victims contact “Jaime Quin,” who claims to be the Chief Director of IC3, by way of Telegram. As soon as contacted, Quin stated he had recovered the victims’ misplaced funds, however this was a ploy to realize entry to their monetary info and revictimize them.
The way to defend your self
To guard your self from comparable rip-off makes an attempt, by no means share delicate info with people you will have solely met on-line or over the telephone, and do not ship them cash, reward playing cards, cryptocurrency, or different monetary property.
The FBI added that IC3 workers won’t ever contact victims straight via telephone calls, e mail, social media, cell apps, or public boards. Moreover, they’ll by no means ask for fee to get well stolen funds or refer victims to corporations that require fee for fund restoration.
Two years in the past, the FBI warned of widespread fraud schemes through which scammers impersonate authorities or legislation enforcement officers by spoofing genuine telephone numbers and utilizing faux credentials to steal personally identifiable info or extort cash from potential victims.
Earlier this month, the Spanish Nationwide Police additionally arrested half a dozen suspects who contacted the victims of their cryptocurrency funding rip-off, posing as Europol brokers or U.Okay. legal professionals and claiming they might assist them get well the misplaced funds in the event that they paid what amounted to native tax prices.
