FBI warns of South Florida phone scam where callers pose as federal officers

The FBI in Miami is warning about an increase in scams targeting South Florida residents over the phone.

The scam starts with a phone call, in which callers identify themselves as federal officers and tell people to "wire or mail 'settlement' money or to assist law enforcement with an investigation against a bank."

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Authorities warn that the calls can seem legitimate because scammers can fake caller ID information, "so it may appear the call is coming from a federal agency’s legitimate phone number or from Washington, D.C. or may show the name of a federal agency."

"These calls are fraudulent, and call recipients should hang up immediately," the FBI says. "Federal agencies do not call or e-mail individuals threatening them to send money or to use their personal money as 'bait' for a federal investigation."

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Supervisory Special Agent Michael Brown said in the statement that in 2024, Florida residents reported 1,579 impersonation scams with an estimated loss of over $12 million.

Anyone who gets one of these calls should hang up and report it to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3.GOV).

More information about government impersonation schemes and other online fraud schemes can be found here.