Don’t Fall For Government Impersonation Fraud

All About Arizona news obtained a press release issued by FBI Phoenix with a public service announcement. The FBI field office is raising awareness about a new phone scam targeting Arizona residents. They continue to receive reports of callers pretending to be an FBI Special Agent and threatening to arrest people if money isn’t sent.

A Tucson resident was targeted recently by receiving a phone call from someone who claimed to be an FBI employee. The caller told the victim that he had an arrest warrant and that he would be arrested if he didn’t send money.

FBI Phoenix emphasized that claims like these are a scam, and reminded the public that federal law enforcement will never call or email people to demand money or threaten arrest. Never send money to the people calling on the phone.

Agent Jeremy Capello with the FBI Phoenix Division said, “The number one way to avoid these scams, first and foremost, is don’t allow it to happen. Don’t pick up the phone if you don’t know who’s calling”.

What if somebody comes to your door and claims to be an agent? “Slow down the conversation. Take a minute. Take a breath. And call the local FBI field office and verify that the person is actually a special agent.”

Email is another method being used to commit government impersonation fraud. Be leery of any phone or social media direct messages, links sent to you via email or text, etc., from any unknown senders.

Arizona residents are urged to report any incidents like this to the Internet Crimes Complaint Center’s (IC3) website, and to use FBI.gov to learn more about these schemes.