The FBI in Honolulu says scammers are copying real federal office phone numbers and even staging fake offices on video calls to look official.
The FBI Honolulu Field Office is warning that scammers are posing as federal agents and making their calls look real. They copy the phone numbers of federal law enforcement offices, including the FBI's own Honolulu office. The trick is called spoofing. It makes a caller ID show a number the caller does not actually own.
Officials said the scammers pretend to be real or made-up agents. Some people assumed the contact was genuine because the number looked like a government line.
One report described a scammer who joined a video meeting with a background staged to look like a federal office. It had official-looking decor, and a person in business attire was on screen. Both the number and the backdrop can be faked, so neither proves anything.
The warning is aimed at Hawaii residents who get a call or a video meeting request from someone claiming to be with the FBI or another federal agency. The material does not say whether the same calls are reaching people in other states.
The alert box above lists the steps, including how to check a claim and where to report it. The FBI's public notice is at ic3.gov/PSA/2026/PSA260917.
Some details are not in the report. It does not say how many people have been contacted, what the callers ask for, or how much money has been lost. Until that is clearer, treat any unexpected call or video request from a supposed agent as suspect, however official it looks.
A government-looking phone number or office backdrop proves nothing, so never give money or personal details to someone who says they are the FBI.
A tax law firm warns that 2026 tax scams use fake numbers, copycat websites and AI voices, and that a rushed demand for money is the biggest warning sign.
Read more: How to spot a tax scam before you send money or personal detailsThe Attala County Sheriff's Office in Mississippi says scam calls are reaching residents, and a call that sounds official may not be.
Read more: Mississippi sheriff warns residents about scam phone callsScammers are posing as Texas sheriff's officers and claiming you missed jury duty. Caller ID can show a real police number even when the call is fake.
Read more: Fake jury duty calls spoof a real Texas sheriff's phone number
