Scammers Impersonating the FBI to Steal Personal Data

Spoofed versions of the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) website are now circulating online, and they lead straight back to the scammers.

The FBI recently issued an advisory, warning that cybercriminals are setting up fake versions of their site to tempt people into entering their personal information:

“Members of the public could unknowingly visit spoofed websites while attempting to find FBI IC3’s website to submit an IC3 report.”

Criminals spoof legitimate sites like the IC3 portal using techniques including ‘typosquatting’. They’ll create web domains that look like the target, but have subtle differences in the URL. They’ll often misspell or add characters to a domain name, which can deceive users attempting to report cybercrime incidents.

The IC3 is the primary hub for cybercrime reporting in the US, and its services are now in high demand. According to the 2024 IC3 Crime Report, victims filed 859,532 complaints with it last year, totalling $16.6 billion in losses (up a third from 2023).

This threat follows a recent disturbing pattern of law enforcement impersonation. In April of this year, the FBI reported that criminals were targeting victims via social media, emails, and phone calls. In some cases, scammers would use fake social media accounts to approach members of fraud victim groups, convincing them that their funds had been recovered.

If you do fall victim to this kind of fraud, it’s far from certain that you’ll get your money back. The IC3’s 2024 report documents the Recovery Asset Team’s efforts to combat fraud through the Financial Fraud Kill Chain, which achieved a 66% success rate freezing cash from fraudulent transactions. According to that report, the average victim to online crime lost almost $20,000.

IC3 has stressed in communications to the public that its employees will never contact individuals directly via phone, email, or social media, will never request payment for fund recovery.

If a person believes that they have been the victim of an online scam, the IC3 states that quick reporting is key. Individuals are urged to cease communication with the scammers immediately and get in touch with the IC3by visiting the IC3 website, found at www.ic3.gov,  directly, as opposed to relying on a link sent by someone else.