Criminals pretend to be FTCs trying to steal your money and information

It can be frightening when agencies call and tell them to pay their time or face prison time. You can even make a reckless decision out of fear, just to wipe out the problem.

Many victims hope to do the same, hand over their financial information to the scammers and prey on the pain. The Federal Trade Commission warns people about fraudsters pretending to be from government agencies like the FTC. Steal your bank account information And maybe you Identity.

“We take that seriously when a fraudster claims that the FTC chairman is on the line to help you get out of the binding, or when you claim that you are being charged with a serious crime,” the agency recently wrote. Blog post. “No one at the FTC will call, email or text you to say those things.”

Scam scams are not new The advancement of AI It helps them become much more common and persuasive. For example, scammers use AI to hide their location, voice And his face. The better you convince you that they are someone else, the more likely they will be to succeed in a crime.

And it’s worth the effort for criminals. Fraud fraud caused a loss of $2.95 billion in 2024. According to the FTC. Government fraud fraud cost $789 million, particularly from $618 million the previous year.

What is FTC Scammer Scam?

FTC scams work just like any other scammer scam. Criminals will reach out to you by phone, text, or email while pretending to be an FTC. They either try to hang the carrots in the form of free cash or scare them to think they are struggling with the law.

Some examples of FTC scams are:

• You are part of a major class action settlement, and “FTC” deposits a portion of the settlement into access to your bank account.
• “FTC” requires you to pay a small amount as a fee before making a substantial payment of any kind.
• Your account has been compromised and FTC members are waiting to help you.
• If you fall into any of these scams, given the middle of recent layoffs across government agencies, it could be even more difficult to help you cancel the damages in order to find a human in one of these agencies. Includes FTC.

Targeting our most vulnerable targets

The con artists behind tricks like con artists understand that some groups are more vulnerable than others and are likely to fall into traps, probably because they don’t recognize the role and reach of the FTC.

Elderly people are often the most affected by fraudster fraud, and criminals give more time and attention as they understand that our older adults were probably raised to more respect for the authority of government agencies. That’s exactly what scammers need to build the trust that is essential to stop scams.

According to the FTC, People over 60 lost $2.4 billion in scams in 2024people between the ages of 60 and 69 lose more than any other age group. The number of older Americans reporting losing more than $100,000 to scams in a given year has more than tripled since 2020.

For these victims, it’s not just the money they lose, but it’s devastating. Kathy Stokes, director of AARP’s fraud prevention program, March Earp Post That fraud leads to emotional and health risks, and it could be that elders are more dependent on the government’s safety net than the retirement nest eggs they worked to build hard on.

How to find and avoid scam scams

Most scams have the same Telltale present as other scams – it’s all about the context. Here’s how to identify FTC and other scams:

• Requests, offers, or threats are not normal. When did you get contacted by the FTC or other government agencies about anything? Have you ever had any communication or relationships with FTC before? Have you ever done something they blame you?
• You are told to send money. The FTC will never ask you to send, send money, pose a threat, or promise an award.
• That doesn’t feel right. Why does FTC want to help you move your money into a more secure account? Or invest in cryptocurrency? Or are you paying a fine using a gift card? it’s not. If the information you are being told sounds off, trust your gut. The FTC may only contact you if you submit a report. If so, the spokesman has the report’s reference number.
• Consider the way you communicate. The government tends to write and send notices in writing. So, doubt texts, emails or phone calls that claim they are from government agencies.
• An urgent feeling is an abnormal feeling. If you feel like you are in a hurry to take action or make a decision, it is an obvious indication that it is a scam. You should always double-check the information you are notified of, or have time to consult an expert for advice. The most powerful weapon in fighting fraud is to pause and think. Stop, gather your thoughts, don’t hurry, don’t be bullied, take a deep breath.
• You receive a threat. If you are threatened with arrest, legal action, fines, contact your employer or payment for a freeze, or if you refuse to mail documents or evidence, it is usually normal. Clear signs of fraud.

What if you fall victim to a scammer’s fraud?

If you fall victim to a scammer’s fraud, the next move will depend on the severity of the fraud you have dropped.

• If you have made a payment or transfer of a bank, contact your bank or credit union immediately to see if you can cancel your payment and reverse it. If you have given a credit card number, please contact the card issuer and report the fraud.
• If you have accessed any kind of account to a scammer, please cancel the account, contact the fraud department and change your password. You will also change other passwords to an account with the same login credentials.
• If you provided you social security number And you haven’t done so yet, put both a fraud warning and a credit freeze on your credit report. You can also consider Sign up for Personal Theft Protection Service Like aura Or a Credit Monitoring Services Like Experian To help you monitor your identity online.
• Share your story with family and friends so that you can learn from your experiences.
• Report FTC fraudhelps to raise awareness of fraud and protect others.
• Please report it to your local police station. It will help you to warn of similar local scams and communicate the language to your local community.