The FBI is cautioning the public about a sophisticated variation of a long-running impersonation scam—one designed to undermine even the normal steps people take to check whether a caller is genuine.
Fraudsters are pretending to represent the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and Secret Service while disguising their phone numbers and borrowing the names of real federal agents.
Some targets have called an authentic field office to check the caller’s identity, only to be told that the agent named during the conversation is an actual employee.
That confirmation can be misleading. Knowing that an agent works for an agency does not prove that the employee made the original call.
In a separate nationwide warning, the FBI said impersonators often claim that their targets have been linked to criminal activity before demanding money to prevent an arrest or prosecution.
The alert from the FBI’s Newark office in New Jersey described just how elaborate the deception can be. In one case, a scammer conducted a video call from a staged setting made to look like an FBI office, featuring a desk, the agency’s seal and a suited man on screen.
The agency stressed that legitimate federal law enforcement officers will not ask people to send money. It urged anyone receiving such a call never to transfer funds and to independently check the agency’s official contact information and the identity of the purported agent.
Callers who reach an agency office should explain that they suspect they are being targeted by a scam and want to determine whether a genuine agent is trying to contact them, the FBI advised.
Criminals are impersonating FBI, DEA and Secret Service personnel, using spoofed government phone numbers and the names of real agents to make fraudulent calls seem credible
In a notice issued on September 29, the FBI said New Jersey residents had reported criminals posing as agents from the FBI, DEA and Secret Service. Although the scheme has been used for decades, investigators said the latest version introduces a particularly deceptive element.
The new methods, the agency said, can make it exceptionally challenging for potential victims to establish whether the person contacting them is legitimate.
A key part of the fraud is caller ID spoofing. This technology allows criminals to manipulate the information displayed on a recipient’s phone, concealing the true source of the call and making it appear to come from a trusted number.
As a result, the incoming call may seem to originate from an authentic FBI field office.
The scammers then identify themselves using the names of real federal agents. If a target contacts the relevant office, staff may confirm that the named employee is on the agency’s payroll—an answer that can unintentionally lend credibility to the con.
In other instances, targets cannot reach anyone at the office but still assume the call must be genuine because the number shown on their phone appears to be official.
The FBI said people who cannot verify the information through a local field office may contact the agency’s headquarters in Washington, DC for additional assistance.
The latest warning expanded on an update issued September 17. At that time, the FBI said it had received almost 61,000 reports involving the impersonation scheme from January 2025 through July 2026.
The fake agent tells victims they are connected to a crime and demands payment to keep them from facing prosecution
Reported financial losses had surpassed $1.6 billion.
Investigators said the criminals may create panic by using forceful, threatening language and insisting that they speak directly with the person they are targeting.
They may also keep victims on the phone throughout the scam and pressure them to keep the call secret from family, friends, banks and law enforcement.
‘The scammers demand payment through a variety of methods, including prepaid cards, couriers, bank wires, cryptocurrency, or cash inserted into cryptocurrency kiosks,’ the agency added.
The earlier alert also noted that these scammers are also telling victim’s that their passport, driver’s license, or professional license is expiring and demand payment for renewal.
‘Scammers may also target Americans from different ethnic communities, foreign nationals, or international students in the US,’ the FBI said.
‘The scammers, impersonating foreign law enforcement agencies or US-based foreign diplomatic officials, may threaten victims associated with these nations with extradition or the canceling of their home country passport.’
