Several FBI regional offices across the country are warning US smartphone owners saying they are saying that scammers are counterfeating FBI phone numbers across the country. This enables them to imitate FBI agents, while threatening the victims, saying that they will be arrested until they send the money. If you are convinced that you have been targeted by this scheme, instruct your browser to www.ic3.gov and file a complaint at the Internet Crime Complaint Center.
The FBI’s El Passo Branch made it clear in a tweet that the FBI will never do:
- Call or email for private citizens to demand payment or threaten arrest.
- You will not be asked to be “settlement” wire to avoid arrest.
- You will never be asked to use a large amount of money to catch a criminal.
- FBI will not ask for a wire transfer or gift card from you
- The FBI will not call you about “frozen” social security numbers or integrated heritage.
It is not just the FBI that reacts to the scam. New York State Police says New York citizens have recently received phone calls from numbers that show that these are New York State Police Phone numbers. The callers have asked the victims for their social security numbers, claiming law enforcement officials and threatened to punish those who do not follow the demands of the information made by fake policemen.
#Fbi Never will never call you or email to demand payment or threaten arrest. This is a scam. Hang on! #Tocybethttps://t.co/lc3potqknpic.twitter.com/c6mh6ijcju
– FBIL Passo (FBIELPASO) June 3, 2025
“Phone number spopping is a tactic that is commonly used by scammers across the country to show that calls are coming from reliable agencies. These scams are designed to create confusion and fear, often to comply with the demands or to share their information.
New York State Police
Like the FBI, the New York State police have made it clear that they will “never call individuals and will not demand sensitive information or threaten arrest or legal action on the phone.” If you get a call like a call about which FBI and New York State Police are warning you then you should do the following job:
- Do not provide any personal information.
- Do not send money or pay for a threat.
- Immediately executed – even if the caller ID looks legitimate.
- Save any voice miles and record the phone number if possible.
- Confirm the call by contacting the agency directly using a reliable number.
If you receive one of these calls, as soon as the party starts to ask for money at the other end of the call, hang. Doing so will protect you from tearing and you will not face any punishment.
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