Losing money to a scam is bad. Being scammed a second time by someone who promises to get that money back is worse, and it is exactly what this trick is built for.
In July 2026 the FBI published a public service announcement warning that criminals are impersonating the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), the FBI’s official site for reporting online fraud. The warning updates an earlier alert from April 2025, which means the scheme is still active.
Who gets targeted
The people most at risk are those who already lost money to a scam, for example in a fake investment, a romance scam or a tech support call. Scammers know these victims want their money back and may be willing to try anything.
Contact can come by email, phone, social media or ads in online forums.
How the scam works
The FBI describes three versions:
- A “fake agent” in your messages. After you threaten to report a scammer, someone claiming to be from the FBI contacts you on Facebook Messenger or Telegram. They send a link to “update your IC3 report”. The link can install malicious software or collect your bank details.
- A fake IC3 website promoted by a deepfake video. An AI-generated video shows what looks like a senior FBI official urging people to file complaints. The link leads to a look-alike site that asks for your name, phone number, email, the type of scam and how much you lost, then shows a convincing “reference number”.
- Live AI video calls. Scammers use AI-generated video to hold real-time chats as “officials”, or send short videos to prove they are real people.
In every version, the end goal is the same: a “fee” to release your recovered money, or your banking details.
The red flags
The FBI is clear about what the real IC3 does not do:
- IC3 does not contact you by phone, email, social media, apps, chat or forums. If more information is needed, an FBI field office or local police will reach out.
- IC3 has no social media accounts and does not recover money through Facebook, Telegram or similar platforms.
- IC3 never asks you to pay to recover lost funds.
- The only real address is www.ic3.gov, and it ends in .gov.
Other warning signs:
- Names that are slightly misspelled, contact details that are almost right, low-quality logos.
- A sponsored result at the top of a search instead of the official site.
- In videos: distorted hands or faces, odd shadows, unnatural movement, or a lag in the voice.
- A message designed to make you feel urgent fear, anger or hope.
What to do instead
- Type www.ic3.gov yourself in the address bar. Do not use a search ad or a link from a message.
- Never pay to get money back. Not by card, bank transfer, gift card or cryptocurrency.
- Do not share your bank details with anyone you only know online or by phone.
- Check surprising videos of officials against trusted news sources or the agency’s own website.
- Report fake accounts to the platform where they contacted you.
If you already sent money or details
- Call your bank right away and explain what happened. Ask whether the payment can be stopped or reversed.
- Change your passwords, starting with your email account, and turn on two-factor authentication.
- File a report at www.ic3.gov. Include the names, profiles, websites, email addresses and phone numbers the scammers used, plus the dates, amounts and payment methods.
- If you are 60 or older and need help filing, the U.S. Department of Justice runs the Elder Justice Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311).
Outside the U.S., report to your national fraud center, for example Report Fraud (formerly Action Fraud) in the UK or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
How fewer people find your email in the first place
Scammers who target past victims often work from lists: email addresses that signed up for a dubious investment site, a “free” giveaway or a sketchy shop. You cannot remove your address from lists that already exist, but you can stop adding it to new ones.
When a site you do not fully trust asks for an email, give it a temporary address instead of your real one. If that site later leaks or sells its list, the address it has is already gone. Our guide on how to stop spam emails covers the rest of the routine.
Sources
- FBI, FBI Warns of Scammers Impersonating the IC3, public service announcement I-072026-PSA, July 20, 2026.