-and-
Scammers often impress upon you a false sense of urgency or isolation.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation
Image: Courtesy
Frauds and scams are everywhere, from your text-message inbox to the local gas pump.
The FBI would like to remind citizens how to protect themselves from scammers. And one of the best ways to stay safe? Take a beat.
Scammers often impress upon you a false sense of urgency or isolation. They may try to instill trust; induce empathy or fear; or promise monetary gains, companionship, or employment opportunities—all to lure you into immediate action. Make sure you resist pressure to act quickly, pause for a moment, and assess the situation.
You can also be sure to:
- Take precautionary measures to protect your identity if a criminal gets access to your device or account. Immediately contact your financial institutions to place protections on your accounts and monitor for suspicious activity.
- Be cautious of unsolicited phone calls, mailings, and door-to-door service offers.
- Search online for the contact information (name, phone number, email, addresses) of any unknown source that reaches out to you.
- Never give or send to unverified people or businesses any personally identifiable information, money, checks, gift cards, or wire information.
If you believe you or someone you know may have been a victim of a fraud or scam, contact your local FBI office or submit a complaint at ic3.gov. You should document the name of the scammer/company and methods of contact, dates of contact, methods of payment, where funds may have been sent, and a thorough description of the interactions.
-and-
Resources:
- For more information on the common frauds and scams the FBI encounters, visit fbi.gov/scams.
- To view the latest scam stats and trends, visit ic3.gov.
- Listen to our Inside the FBI podcast episodes on scams: Fighting Fraud | Breaking Up with Scammers | Hanging Up on Tech Support Scams | The Phantom Hacker | Romance Scams
- Learn more from our partners at the FTC.
