LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Bad actors are now playing the role of FBI agents to rip off those who’ve already fallen victim to cybercrime.
Often, scammers impersonate agents with the agency’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, or IC3. They may email or text scam victims and offer to help recover the money stolen from them.
Other times, they create fake social media accounts, pretend to be victims themselves, and try to join online support groups. Once in, they gain members’ trust and offer to help them recoup their funds or repair damage done by a stolen identity.
In both cases, criminals collect sensitive information that they’ll use to victimize the injured parties all over again.
The FBI warns that IC3 agents will never directly communicate with you via phone, email, social media, or text. Any message like this from any federal agency should set off alarm bells.
IC3 will never ask you to pay for help recovering lost funds. And — it definitely won’t tell you to send gift cards or cryptocurrency as payment.
If you’ve fallen victim to a cybercrime, reach out to the FBI as soon as possible afterward and provide as many details as possible.
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