THE SCAM Your phone rings and the caller says he's a federal agent — FBI, U.S. Marshals, local police. There's a warrant out for your arrest, he says. Or you missed jury duty. Or your driver's license was used in a crime. His tone is urgent and aggressive. He keeps you on the line and tells you not to tell anyone. Then comes the ask: pay right now to make it go away — with prepaid cards, a wire transfer, crypto, or even cash handed to a courier who shows up at your door.

This is the single most-reported government impersonation scam in the country. The FBI says nearly 61,000 people reported versions of it between January 2025 and July 2026, with total losses over $1.6 billion — more than $26,000 per victim on average. And the newest versions are harder to spot: scammers now show up on AI-generated video calls wearing fake uniforms, flashing fake badges, calling from mock "official" offices. One victim even told a scammer's video call felt real enough to convince her the warrant was genuine.

THE RED FLAG Real law enforcement never demands money by phone. Never. No FBI agent, no marshal, no sheriff will call you up, threaten arrest, and take payment by gift card or crypto kiosk — that is simply not how any agency on earth works. Payment is the whole scam: the badge, the badge number, the case number, the spoofed caller ID — all of it exists to get you to send money before you think.

The secrecy demand is the second tell. The caller will insist you stay on the phone and tell no one — not your bank, not your family, not the police. Secrecy is what the scammer needs, not you.

THE RULE Hang up, then check — but never through a number they gave you. Look up the agency yourself (the real courthouse, the real sheriff's office, the real FBI field office) and call their official number to ask whether anything is actually going on. Real warrants and court dates arrive on paper through the mail, not through a threat on the phone. If it's a video call, remember: AI can now fake a badge, a uniform, and an office — it can't fake an official paper trail.

(Source: FBI IC3 public service announcement, September 17, 2026 (via The Register / Help Net Security))

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