Impostor scams involving perpetrators impersonating authority figures have cost Americans billions and are currently the top fraud in the U.S.
The problem: These scams have become more believable as con artists use real names, caller IDs, and accents to create a façade of genuine communication with law enforcement officers.
* Nearly 200,000 people have been targeted this year, and $2.6 billion was lost to impostor scams last year, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
Increasingly sophisticated tactics: Scammers now find victims’ information in real-time, create believable accents, and use caller ID spoofing and voice cloning technology to impersonate real people.
* This targets victims’ insecurities, making it difficult to distinguish between genuine and fake communications.
Protection and prevention: Law enforcement agencies nationwide, including the Federal Communications Commission, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, and the FBI, have issued warnings and provided educational materials for recognizing and avoiding scams.
* The agencies advise hanging up and calling back when in doubt, and they have all stated that they will never call and ask for money.
Evasion and reporting: If someone falls victim to a scam, it is advised to report it to both the FBI and the FTC.
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