Residents of South Florida are being warned by the FBI about an uptick in phone scams where callers fraudulently claim to be federal officers. This deception includes instructing individuals to wire or mail funds purportedly related to a "settlement" or to aid in a law enforcement investigation. These scammers have upped their game by spoofing caller ID information to make their claims seem more authentic, sometimes displaying what appears to be an official federal agency phone number or even the agency's name, as reported by CBS12.
According to a NBC Miami report, individuals who receive such calls should not only refuse to follow the scammers’ instructions but are strongly encouraged to hang up immediately. The FBI emphasized that federal agencies don't call or send emails to an individual threatening them to send money. "These calls are fraudulent, and call recipients should hang up immediately," the agency advised. Moreover, victims of these scams in Florida have reported significant financial losses, with an estimated $12 million lost in 2024 alone due to impersonation scams, as Supervisory Special Agent Michael Brown informed.
Michael Brown further clarified, "Federal agencies will never contact individuals demanding money or using personal funds as ‘bait’ for investigations." In the face of this persisting criminal trend, the FBI's Miami office is reaching out to help educate the public on the reality of these swindles. They stress to never send money to an unknown individual and to avoid disclosing personal information, especially banking details. Residents are being taught to remain vigilant when answering calls from numbers they don't recognize, as detailed by CBS12.
If one were to receive a suspicious call, the recommended course of action is to report it to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. For additional guidance on how to navigate issues such as government impersonation schemes and other online frauds, further information can be found on the FBI's support webpages, as evidenced by resources provided by NBC Miami.
