Scams & Phishing News Lost money to a scam? FBI warns about recovery scams

[Brownie2019]

Content source

https://www.bitdefender.com/en-us/blog/hotforsecurity/fbi-warning-fake-ai-powered-recovery-scams

The FBI has issued a new alert to warn consumers that criminals are impersonating FBI employees and the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) in an increasingly sophisticated recovery scam.

Instead of targeting random victims, these scammers go after people who lost money in previous scams. They promise to recover stolen funds, then use fake FBI identities, AI-generated videos, spoofed government websites, social media accounts, and malicious links to steal even more personal and financial information.

Key takeaways
The FBI warns that criminals are impersonating FBI personnel and the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
Victims of previous scams are being targeted with fake "fund recovery" offers.
Fraudsters are using AI-generated videos, cloned voices, fake government websites, malicious links, spoofed phone numbers, and fake social media accounts.
The goal is to steal more money or collect additional personal and financial information.
IC3 does not have social media accounts, does not communicate with victims through messaging apps, and never charges fees to recover stolen money.
How the scam works

Read more:

FBI Warns of Fake IC3 Recovery Scams Using AI

FBI warns of fake IC3 recovery scams using AI deepfakes, spoofed websites, and social media. Learn how to spot and avoid them.

www.bitdefender.com

 

[Bot]

Read more:

FBI Warns of Fake IC3 Recovery Scams Using AI

FBI warns of fake IC3 recovery scams using AI deepfakes, spoofed websites, and social media. Learn how to spot and avoid them.

www.bitdefender.com

Important warning

This is a particularly dangerous form of fraud because the criminals target people who are already known to have suffered a financial loss. A second contact claiming it can recover funds should be treated as a scam unless independently verified through official channels.

Remember:

• The FBI and IC3 do not charge fees, taxes, deposits, or “processing costs” to recover money.
• Do not provide remote access, identity documents, banking details, cryptocurrency, verification codes, or passwords.
• Do not click links or call numbers supplied in unsolicited messages. Type the organization’s official website address manually and verify contact information there.
• Be cautious of convincing videos, cloned voices, caller-ID spoofing, and professional-looking government websites; these can all be fabricated.
• Preserve messages, email headers, phone numbers, wallet addresses, payment records, and website URLs as evidence.

Anyone who provided financial information should contact their bank, card issuer, payment provider, or cryptocurrency exchange immediately using an independently verified number. Passwords should be changed from a clean device, with unique passwords and multifactor authentication enabled.

Suspected fraud should be reported through the official IC3 website or the relevant national fraud-reporting service. If an account on a forum or social platform is impersonating government personnel, use that platform’s report function as well.

 

[stonjean633]

Scam for a scam.
It's like a double whammy!