The FBI Philadelphia Field Office is warning the public of fraud schemes in which scammers impersonate law enforcement or government officials in attempts to extort money or steal personally identifiable information.

Government and law enforcement impersonation scams can come in various forms, most commonly email or phone calls.

On the phone, scammers often spoof caller ID information, so fraudulent calls appear to be coming from an agency’s legitimate phone number. Recipients should hang up immediately and report the call to law enforcement.

Fraudulent emails may give the appearance of legitimacy by using pictures of the FBI Director and/or the FBI seal and letterhead. Common hallmarks of a scam email include misspellings, missing words, and incorrect grammar.

Be advised, law enforcement does not call or email individuals threatening arrest or demanding money.

To avoid becoming a victim of this scam:

• Be wary of answering phone calls from numbers you do not recognize.
• Do not send money to anybody that you do not personally know and trust.
• Never give out your personal information, including your Social Security number, over the phone or to individuals you do not know.

The FBI will never:

• Call or email private citizens to demand payment or threaten arrest. You will also not be asked to wire a “settlement” to avoid arrest.
• Ask you to use large sums of your own money to help catch a criminal.
• Never request you send money via wire transfer to foreign accounts, cryptocurrency, or gift/prepaid cards
• Call you about “frozen” Social Security numbers or to coordinate inheritances.

If you believe you are a victim of a law enforcement or government impersonation scam:

• Cease all contact with the scammers immediately
• Notify your financial institutions and safeguard any financial accounts
• Contact your local law enforcement and file a police report
• File a complaint with the FBI IC3 at www.ic3.gov.
• Be sure to keep any financial transaction information, including prepaid cards and banking records and all telephone, text, or email communications.

If you think you are a victim of this, or any other online scam please file a report with your local law enforcement agency and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at ic3.gov.