Scammers impersonating police and government officials have stolen $1.6 billion

As detailed in Tech Radar, scammers impersonating law enforcement and government officials have defrauded victims of approximately $1.6 billion. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reported receiving nearly 61,000 complaints related to these scams between January 2025 and July 2026.

These sophisticated scams often involved unsolicited phone calls and sometimes video calls, with victims losing an average of $26,000 each. Many of these fraudulent schemes targeted foreign nationals, international students, and immigrant citizens. Scammers employed threats of visa cancellation, passport revocation, and even extradition to coerce payments. In some instances, perpetrators created elaborate studio sets, wore uniforms or suits, and appeared in video calls to convincingly impersonate foreign law enforcement agents or U.S. diplomats. This tactic aimed to instill fear and urgency, leading victims to make payments to avoid severe consequences.

The FBI advises individuals to remain calm, request credentials, verify them independently, and remember that legitimate law enforcement agencies will never demand money.

Source: Tech Radar