The FBI Miami Field Office is aware of a recent increase of government impersonation scams and attempts targeting South Florida residents.
According to the FBI, callers identify themselves as a federal officer and typically instruct people to wire or mail “settlement” money or to assist law enforcement with an investigation against a bank. These calls are fraudulent, and call recipients should hang up immediately. Federal agencies do not call or email individuals threatening them to send money or to use their personal money as “bait” for a federal investigation.
There are many versions of this government impersonation scam, but they are all variations of the same tactic. This type of scam has been around for years and targets people across the nation.
“Criminals use law enforcement impersonation scams as a means of confusing and unnerving their intended victims in order to get them to act rashly,” said Supervisory Special Agent Michael Brown. “If you receive one of these calls, hang up, and report the incident to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)…