Recently the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a warning about an imposter scam that starts with a phone call or text message from scammers posing as FCC commissioners or employees in which they tell the targeted victim that their phone number is under investigation for criminal activity and demand an immediate payment, often by cryptocurrency or gift cards to resolve the problem. Imposter scams in which the scammers pose as government agents or law enforcement officers demanding a payment or asking for personal information purportedly to verify your identity to resolve a problem is a common and effective scam strategy.
Through the simple technique of “spoofing” a scammer can manipulate your Caller ID to make the scammer’s call or text message appear to be that of a legitimate government agency or law enforcement. Trust me, you can’t trust anyone.
TIPS
The FCC nor any other federal agency will eve call you to say your phone number is under investigation or demand, ask for financial information, threaten legal action or demand a payment. In particular, no government agency or law enforcement accepts cryptocurrency payments or gift cards. It is a sad commentary that the IRS actually indicates on its website that it does not ask for or accept cryptocurrency payments. Anytime you are asked to pay by way of a gift card or cryptocurrency, you can be confident it is a scam.
If you do receive a call or text message purportedly from a federal agency or law enforcement, you can never be sure who is actually contacting you so if you think it may be legitimate, merely call the federal agency or law enforcement branch at a number that you have confirmed is accurate and you will learn that the original call or text message was a scam.
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