The FBI Jacksonville Field Office has received reports of efforts by scammers to target Florida residents through unsolicited telephone calls in which the caller claims to be a representative of the FBI Fort Walton Beach Resident Agency.
There are many versions of the government impersonation scam, and they all exploit aggressive, intimidation tactics. Typically, a scammer contacts a victim via phone, text or e-mail and claims that charges have been, or soon will be, filed against them. Victims are told that they will be forced to pay significant fees or court costs to resolve the matter if they do not wire “settlement” money or provide payment via prepaid cards or gift cards. The scammer will then threaten to confiscate the victim’s property, freeze their bank accounts, or have them arrested unless payment is made immediately.
“No one wants to be the subject of a law enforcement investigation, so scammers use fear and a false sense of urgency to intimidate people into quickly handing over their personal information and hardearned money. Don’t fall for it,” said Kristin Rehler, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Jacksonville. “It’s important to resist the urge to act fast and take time to verify who is actually contacting you.”
Be advised, the FBI does not call or e-mail individuals threatening them or demanding money. Scammers often spoof caller ID information, and these phone calls are fraudulent even if they appear to be coming from a federal agency’s legitimate phone number. Recipients should hang up immediately and report the call to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at www.ic3.gov.
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