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AlertFTC · Phone scam1 min read

Fake FTC callers say your phone number was used in a crime

The FTC says scammers are calling as agency staff, claiming your phone number was used in international crime, then handing you to fake police.

By the Dashline deskSource: WBIW
Fake FTC callers say your phone number was used in a crime
Photo: Santeri Viinamäki, CC BY-SA 4.0
Act this week
What happenedThe FTC warned that scammers are posing as agency staff and claiming victims' phone numbers were used in international fraud schemes.
Who is affectedAnyone with a phone can be targeted, and the scam can hit older adults, families and small business owners who answer unknown calls.
What to do
  1. 1Hang up if a caller says they are from the FTC or another agency and makes threats.
  2. 2Never withdraw money or send payments because a caller tells you to.
  3. 3Do not trust a call transfer to someone claiming to be law enforcement.
  4. 4Report the call to the FTC and tell family members about the scam.

A scam call that sounds official is making the rounds. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says callers pretend to work for the agency and tell people their phone number was tied to international criminal schemes. The caller then transfers the victim to someone posing as police.

What happened

The FTC says the callers use high-pressure tactics, fake law enforcement transfers and fraudulent credentials to scare people. The goal is to get victims to hand over thousands of dollars. Government imposter scams cost Americans about $920 million last year, according to agency data.

FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson said consumers contact the agency every day about these calls. "Unfortunately, many of them report losing money to these imposters," he said.

Who can relax

Anyone who gets this call can treat the claim as false. Ferguson was blunt: "We won't threaten you or tell you to withdraw your money and give it to someone else. Only a scammer will do those things." The agency says government entities never demand immediate money transfers or threaten people by phone.

What to do and what is unclear

The alert box above covers the steps. The short version is to hang up, send no money, and tell family.

The source material does not say how many people have been hit by this exact version of the scam, or give a full list of warning signs. Check the FTC's own site for updates.

The takeaway

A real agency will not threaten you or tell you to move money, so hang up on any caller who does.

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