JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The FBI Jacksonville Field Office wants to warn you about the latest scheme designed to take your money and personal information.
Agents say scammers are impersonating law enforcement or government agents. Fraudulent emails may look real because they include pictures of the FBI director, FBI credentials, and/or the FBI seal or letterhead.
The scams start with a text, email or phone call. Caller ID information is spoofed, so the calls actually look like they’re coming from legitimate sources, like your bank.
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If you get an email, look closely for misspellings, missing words or incorrect grammar. Those are tell-tale signs of a scam. The text and calls will often come with a deadline to rush you to take action without thinking it through.
Remember this - law enforcement will never contact you by phone or email, threatening an arrest or demanding money. Agents will never ask you to use your money to help catch a criminal. And they’ll never ask you to send money via wire transfer to foreign accounts, cryptocurrency or gift/prepaid cards.
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If you believe you have been a victim of this scam, stop all contact with the scammers immediately and notify your bank. Contact local law enforcement and file a report. You can also file a complaint with the FBI IC3 at www.ic3.gov.
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