Key Takeaways
- Scammers are impersonating FBI personnel to target people who have already lost money.
- Criminals are using AI-generated videos, fake websites, and messaging apps to appear legitimate.
- The FBI says IC3 never charges recovery fees or contacts victims through social media.
Fake Agents Target Victims a Second Time
The FBI is warning that scammers are posing as federal agents and using artificial intelligence to trick people who have already lost money to fraud.
In a July 20 public service announcement, the bureau said criminals are impersonating personnel connected to the Internet Crime Complaint Center, or IC3. The scammers falsely claim they recovered stolen money or can help victims retrieve their losses. The offer is another recovery scam designed to steal personal information, financial details, or additional payments from people who are already vulnerable.
The FBI said:
“Almost all complainants indicated the scammers claimed to have recovered the victim’s lost funds or offered to assist in recovering funds. However, the claim is a ruse to revictimize those who have already lost money to scams.”
Scammers may contact victims through phone calls, email, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, social media advertisements, or online forums. They may also send links that supposedly allow victims to update an IC3 complaint but instead collect financial information or expose users to malicious code.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC)’s guidance on refund and recovery scams says criminals deliberately target people who have already paid another scammer. Fraudsters may obtain lists containing victims’ names, contact information, previous losses and details about the original scam before offering bogus recovery services.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) also warns about recovery fraud, particularly after cryptocurrency, foreign exchange and investment scams. The regulator says an offer to retrieve lost savings may be another scheme that adds to the victim’s financial damage.
AI Videos and Fake Websites Build Trust
The updated FBI alert highlights how criminals are using AI-generated videos, including deepfakes, to make their impersonation schemes more believable.
The bureau said scammers created videos appearing to show a senior FBI official directing users to submit complaints through a counterfeit IC3 website.
The spoofed site resembled the official government portal but asked users to enter their name, phone number, email address, scam type and estimated financial loss. It then generated a reference number and promised that someone would contact them.
Criminals may also use AI-generated voices, fabricated video calls and caller ID spoofing to impersonate executives, law enforcement officers or other authority figures.
FBI Says IC3 Never Charges Recovery Fees
The FBI stressed that IC3 does not operate social media accounts and does not recover money through Facebook, Telegram, or similar platforms.
The bureau noted:
“IC3 does not maintain a social media presence. IC3 will never ask for payment to recover lost funds.”
Consumers should not send cryptocurrency, gift cards, wire transfers, or other assets to anyone claiming to be able to recover stolen funds, the FBI said. Suspected scams should be reported through the official IC3 website, along with transaction records, phone numbers, email addresses, and cryptocurrency wallet addresses, when available.
