FBI: Fake cop and government impersonation scams cost victims $1.6B

Scammers impersonating law enforcement or government officials have cost victims more than $1.6 billion since January 2025, the FBI reports. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received close to 61,000 complaints of this type between January 2025 and July 2026, putting the average per-complaint loss at more than $26, …

[Groo The Wanderer - A Canuck]

Doh! When anybody, and I mean anybody claims to be from a "secure vendor/institution" of any kind, I call the vendor/institution directly myself to see if they needed to get in touch with me." I never respond to nor click on such links unless I am currently interacting with such a provider and expecting them to be sending prompts and codes.

[Missing Semicolon]

"Call the vendor/institution". Oh, really. Be prepared to be on hold for a while, whilst the scammer is counting down the arrest warrant.

[Bitsminer]

We're from the government...

"We're not here to help but you will not die in vain."

[Anonymous Coward]

When will we have real Caller ID?

I can't help thinking that, in the US at least, these are fueled by easily-faked Caller ID. Just like the 14 scam calls I've gotten in the last 2 days, all from "The Home Improvement Group", with a different local number every time (sometimes using the number of actual local businesses).

I'd love to see a $100 fine per call for the telco that allows a faked-caller-ID call to be connected. Then the telcos would put a stop to this REAL fast.

[Clausewitz4.1]

Re: When will we have real Caller ID?

Its a global situation, not limited to USA.

Imagine BGP but worse.

[Jason Bloomberg]

Doug and Dinsdale Piranha were mere amateurs

Breaking down the numbers from TFA -

• 6,833 cases extorted $36 million = $5,269 per scam

• 3,322 cases extorted $37 million = $11,138 per scam

• 496 cases extorted $348 thousand = $702 per scam

• 1,809 cases extorted $140 million = $77,391 per scam

The average extorted from individuals is staggering.

I do understand fear of consequences being persuasive, and scams are most successful against those most vulnerable to them, but almost 500 seemingly didn't check the expiry date of their driving licences or passports before handing over $700 each.

I wouldn't hand over $1 if I didn't believe I owed that without receiving notice of prosecution or enforcement action which I had confirmed was legitimate by the judicial system. "See you in court" has always been my approach.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Doug and Dinsdale Piranha were mere amateurs

DINSDALE!

[just4this]

Prediction….

I expect an increase in the number of victims falling for fake demands sent by Email.

Just after the increase in people using AI agents to handle their Email.

[Winkypop]

Everything is fake

Until proven real

Such is modern life.