FBI: Fake cop and government impersonation scams cost victims $1.6B
AI, fake uniforms, and mock offices help crooks sell the con
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has reported that scams involving fake law enforcement or government officials have cost victims over $1.6 billion since January 2025. The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received nearly 61,000 complaints of this nature between January 2025 and July 2026, with an average loss of more than $26,000 per complaint.
The most prevalent type of scam involves scammers claiming victims have committed a crime or are connected to one, threatening arrest and prison time unless a payment is made, typically through unsolicited phone calls. This accounts for around 11% of the complaints.
A distinct variant involves alleging victims failed to fulfill their jury duty or court date, threatening fines or arrest unless they pay. This caused nearly $36 million in losses across 6,833 complaints.
A more targeted approach sees scammers research their victim's profession, such as medical practitioners, claiming issues with their license or that it was used in a crime. Victims reported 3,322 instances of this type, with total losses exceeding $37 million.
A less common tactic involves scammers claiming documents like driver's licenses or passports have expired and demanding payment for renewal. Defined in 496 of the complaints, this method netted criminals $348,000.
Arguably the most elaborate tactic targets Americans, foreign nationals, and international students from different ethnic communities in the US. Scammers impersonate foreign law enforcement or US-based foreign diplomatic officials, threatening to cancel their home-country passport or have them extradited. However, this method sometimes involves video calls and criminals creating movie-style sets to mimic real government facilities.
Of the 19-month reporting period, the IC3 received 1,809 complaints of this kind, with total losses exceeding $140 million.
Law enforcement impersonation scams are widespread globally, though methods vary by country. In the Netherlands, for example, police received over 7,200 reports of fake police officer scams in the first half of 2026, with criminals usually targeting the elderly population. The FBI advises the public not to provide personal or sensitive information to callers claiming to be law enforcement and to verify caller identities independently.
Written by urgent.news from The Register's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
