The FBI Portland Division has seen an increase in reports of scammers falsely representing themselves as FBI agents or a representative of another government agency and sending couriers to pick up cash or gold payments.
Be advised, federal agencies do not call or e-mail individuals threatening arrest or demanding money.
Scammers often spoof caller ID information and these calls are fraudulent even if they appear to be coming from an agency's legitimate phone number. Recipients should hang up immediately and report the call.
There are many versions of the government impersonation scam and they all exploit intimidation tactics. Typically, scammers will use an urgent and aggressive tone, refusing to speak to or leave a message with anyone other than their targeted victim. They will also urge victims not to tell anyone else including family, friends or financial institutions about what is occurring.
Payment is demanded in various forms. In this newest version of the scam, victims are ordered to withdraw money as either cash or gold and give it to a courier who arrives at their home. Other tactics include prepaid cards, wire transfers, and cash sent by mail or inserted into cryptocurrency ATMs. Victims are asked to read prepaid card numbers over the phone or text a picture of the card.
According to the Internet Crime Complaint Center, 14,190 people reported being victims of government impersonation scams in 2023, with losses totaling more than $394 million. More than $1.7 million in financial losses were reported to the FBI Portland Division, which includes all of Oregon.
If you think you are a victim of this or any other online scam, file a report with your local law enforcement agency and the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at "ic3.gov."
