The FBI yesterday (March 7) issued a public service announcement warning Americans about scams in which crooks pretend to be government or law-enforcement officials and try to scare victims into coughing up cash or providing valuable personal information.
Such scams have been going on for years. They usually involve a phone call or email in which someone claiming to be from the IRS, FBI or another agency tells you that you’re about to be arrested or punished for some imaginary infraction — and that you need to pay a fine or provide information such as your Social Security number.
It’s not clear why the FBI is issuing this warning now, other than there are “ongoing widespread fraud schemes” of this nature. However, such scams are now as common as they’ve ever been.
How government-impersonation scams work
“Scammers will use an urgent and aggressive tone, refusing to speak to or leave a message with anyone other than their targeted victim; and will urge victims not to tell anyone else, including family, friends, or financial institutions, about what is occurring,” the FBI warned.
“Payment is demanded in various forms, with the most prevalent being prepaid cards, wire transfers, and cash, sent by mail or inserted into cryptocurrency ATMs. Victims are asked to read prepaid card numbers over the phone or text a picture of the card.”
If you receive one of these calls, the FBI said, you may be told that you have failed to report for jury duty, that you have missed a court date, that…