🚨 FBI Warns: Government Impersonation Scams Have Cost Victims More Than $1.6 Billion

Report Date: September 19, 2026

Scam Type: Government and law-enforcement impersonation fraud

Source Classification: Official Government Warning

What Happened

The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) issued an updated public warning on September 17, 2026 about widespread scams in which criminals impersonate U.S. or foreign law-enforcement and government officials. Between January 2025 and July 2026, IC3 received nearly 61,000 complaints involving law-enforcement or government impersonation scams, with reported losses totaling more than $1.6 billion.

How the Scam Works

Scammers contact victims by phone, text, or email and may spoof authentic phone numbers, email addresses, employee names, and government credentials. They often accuse the victim of being connected to a crime, missing jury duty or a court date, having an expiring license, or facing arrest, prosecution, extradition, or other serious consequences unless money is paid or personal information is provided.

The FBI says scammers may demand prepaid cards, bank wires, cryptocurrency, cash through cryptocurrency kiosks, or use couriers. Some schemes keep victims on the phone, tell them not to speak with family or financial institutions, and use fake uniforms, mock government offices, or artificial intelligence during video calls to make the impersonation appear legitimate.

Who Is Being Targeted

The schemes can target anyone, but the FBI highlights tailored variations. Medical practitioners may be told their professional license is expiring or connected to a crime. International students, foreign nationals, and members of ethnic communities may be threatened with extradition or passport cancellation by people pretending to be foreign police or diplomatic officials.

The FBI reports 6,833 complaints involving jury-duty or court-date impersonation schemes with nearly $36 million in losses, 3,322 complaints involving professional-license-related fraud with more than $37 million in losses, and 1,809 complaints involving foreign law-enforcement or diplomatic impersonation with more than $140 million in losses during the January 2025 through July 2026 reporting period.

Warning Signs

Be suspicious when a caller claims to be law enforcement or a government official and demands immediate payment, threatens arrest or prosecution, insists you remain on the phone, tells you to keep the matter secret, asks for cryptocurrency or prepaid cards, sends a courier for cash, or directs you to a cryptocurrency kiosk. Caller ID, official-looking credentials, uniforms, and even a convincing video call are not proof of identity.

What Consumers Should Do

Do not pay and do not provide sensitive personal information. End the contact and independently locate the agency's official phone number or website. Do not use a number, link, or contact information supplied by the caller. The FBI emphasizes that law-enforcement and government authorities will not call or text members of the public to demand payment or request sensitive information, and they will not demand prepaid cards, cryptocurrency, or courier payments.

If you already sent money or information, stop contact with the scammer, notify your financial institutions immediately, contact local law enforcement, preserve messages and transaction records, and file a report with the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center.

Why This Development Matters

Government impersonation is not new, but the FBI's September 17 update documents the current national scale and newer credibility tactics, including AI-assisted video impersonation, mock government facilities, tailored professional-license threats, and foreign-government impersonation. More than $1.6 billion in reported losses in roughly 19 months makes this a material national consumer warning rather than a minor restatement of earlier local alerts.

Primary Source

FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), Alert I-091726-PSA, September 17, 2026: https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2026/PSA260917

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