FBI: Fake cop and government impersonation scams cost victims $1.6B

FBI IC3 says impersonation scams posing as police and government officials cost victims over $1.6 billion across nearly 61,000 complaints since January 2025.

The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center received close to 61,000 complaints of law-enforcement and government impersonation scams between January 2025 and July 2026, with losses exceeding $1.6 billion and an average per-complaint loss above $26,000. Variants include fake jury-duty fines (6,833 complaints, ~$36 million), profession-targeted extortion (3,322 complaints, over $37 million), fake document renewals (496 complaints, $348,000), and video-call scams using counterfeit uniforms and mock government sets (1,809 complaints, over $140 million). Comparable schemes are surging abroad, with Dutch police logging more than 7,200 fake-officer reports in the first half of 2026. The FBI reminded the public that agencies never demand payment by phone and urged independent verification of callers.