PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Americans filed more than a million complaints about cyber crimes in 2025 and reported losing almost $21 billion, according to a new FBI report.
Amy Golden, a Valley area mom, said she fell for a government impersonation scam even though the red flags were there. She said she is mortified but wanted to share her experience to help others protect their money.
It was a busy morning when the phone rang.
“They said it was the sheriff’s department and there’s a warrant out for my arrest,” said Amy Golden. “I had to pay a fine immediately or they were circling and going to get me.”
The warrant was supposedly for missing a federal court hearing. The caller demanded immediate payment for the “fines” Golden was facing.
“I said I will be right there, and they said no, you have to take care of it first, and that should have been [a red flag], but it wasn’t,” Golden said. “I was already just gone, and so I started following all the steps.
The caller kept her on the phone. Within a couple of hours, she had wired $1,000 to the scammers.
“It was panic. Absolutely. I wasn’t thinking clearly. The signs were there but the panic, the fear, it floods your brain. You can’t think straight,” Golden said.
Scammers use panic to cloud judgment
Scammers rely on victims feeling panic and making decisions quickly.
New FBI data shows Americans reported losing almost $800 million in 2025 to government impersonation scams.
Often, scammers use real information from law enforcement to make their claims seem more believable.
“They’re using our real names, our real badge numbers,” said Sgt. Joaquin Enriquez with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. “Anything with jury duty is never going to come over a text or a phone call. No one is every going to ask you to send money.”
If someone asks you to pay a fine or fee using gift cards, a wire transfer, bitcoin, or a courier in person, stop everything.
“I have heard personally on the phone sirens and radio background noise, just to get the people thinking this is for real. They’re coming to get me,” Enriquez said. “Trust me, no one’s coming to get you. If you have a warrant, we’ll arrest you before you even know it.”
Golden said the red flags were there, but they were hard to see in the moment.
“It felt so real, and now stepping away from it, of course objectively how could that have ever happened? You never think it could ever happen to you,” Golden said. “Just one more cautionary tale.”
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