Scammers are spoofing federal agency phone numbers and using real agents’ names, making fraudulent calls increasingly difficult for victims to recognize.
NEWARK, NJ — The FBI is warning the public about a sophisticated version of a long-running government impersonation scam in which criminals pose as federal agents, spoof legitimate agency phone numbers and use the names of real employees to convince victims that fraudulent calls are authentic.
FBI Newark issued the warning Sept. 29 after victims in New Jersey reported criminals posing as agents from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and Secret Service. Federal authorities said government impersonation scams are not new, but recent tactics can make independent verification more difficult because scammers may use authentic agency contact information and the identities of people who actually work for those agencies.
In the scheme described by FBI Newark, scammers contact a potential victim while pretending to be federal law enforcement officers. The caller ID may display the real phone number of an agency field office, and the person making the call may introduce himself or herself using the name of an actual federal agent. If a victim separately calls the field office and asks whether that person works there, the answer may be yes, even though the real agent had nothing to do with the original call.
That combination of caller ID spoofing and accurate information about government employees can make familiar methods of checking suspicious calls less effective. The FBI said some victims who could not reach an employee at a field office assumed the original contact was legitimate because the number displayed on their phone matched the agency’s published number. The bureau said people who receive suspicious calls should independently contact the agency and explain that they believe they may be the target of a scam.
Authorities also described an instance in which a fraudster used an online video meeting to make the impersonation more convincing. According to FBI Newark, the person created a setting intended to resemble an FBI office, including a desk and an FBI seal, while a man wearing a suit appeared on camera. The FBI cited the episode as another example of scammers using visual cues and publicly available information to create the appearance of official government contact.
The Newark warning follows similar alerts from FBI offices elsewhere in the country. In August, FBI Boston said scammers were spoofing its main telephone number after initially contacting victims while posing as representatives of financial institutions. Victims were told that their information had been used to open an account connected to an illegal firearms purchase before they were transferred to someone claiming to be an FBI special agent.
In that variation, the supposed agent could provide a fake name and badge number and direct the victim to continue communicating through an encrypted application. FBI Boston said legitimate agents do not call or email private citizens to demand money or personal information, threaten arrest or require them to move conversations to encrypted messaging applications. FBI offices have also warned that criminals may pressure victims to act quickly or tell them not to discuss the supposed investigation with relatives, banks or other authorities.
The scale of government impersonation fraud has produced substantial financial losses. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center said in a Sept. 17 public service announcement that it received nearly 61,000 complaints involving law enforcement or government impersonation scams from January 2025 through July 2026. Reported losses during that period exceeded $1.6 billion. The center said scammers most often contact victims through unsolicited phone calls, although text messages and emails are also used.
The FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Report recorded approximately 32,000 government impersonation complaints and about $798 million in reported losses during that year. Separate FBI field offices have continued issuing warnings in 2026 as criminals spoof legitimate phone numbers and use government names, credentials and other details to make their approaches appear authentic.
Federal authorities stress that an authentic-looking caller ID is not proof that a call came from the number displayed. The FBI says it will not call private citizens to demand payment or threaten arrest, and legitimate agents will not direct people to transfer money through cryptocurrency, gift cards or similar methods to avoid arrest. People who believe they have encountered an impersonation scam can independently contact the relevant agency or report suspected internet-enabled fraud to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.
FBI Newark said the impersonation scheme remains an active threat and urged people to independently verify unexpected law enforcement contacts. The bureau said anyone unable to confirm a contact through a local field office can contact the agency’s main office, while evidence from fraudulent virtual meetings can be provided to investigators.
Author note: Last updated Sept. 29, 2026.