People who have already lost money to online scams are being targeted again, with fraudsters posing as employees of the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) and offering fake help to recover funds.
IC3 is the platform where victims can report online crimes. Paul Keener, a cybersecurity strategist at GuidePoint Security, said the scheme is especially harmful because it targets people who have already been victimised.
“It’s just like a horrible crime, because you’re victimizing people who have already been victimized,” Keener said. “And that’s probably the worst thing.”
He also warned that the scam could weaken public trust in IC3 and discourage people from reporting cyberattacks.
“If you’re a criminal and you are trying not to get your threat network discovered, what would be one of the best ways? To make it so people don’t trust the one tool that the public has in order to report all of these different types of attacks,” Keener said.
The FBI said scammers are reaching victims through phone calls, emails, social media, fake IC3 websites and AI-generated deepfake videos. In some cases, fraudsters claim they have already recovered the victim’s lost money and offer further assistance in exchange for payment.
“They request money in order to recover money,” Keener said. “Just as a general rule, the federal government does not do that.”
IC3 does not maintain a social media presence and does not investigate crimes or recover funds through social media. Any communication claiming otherwise is fake.
For a legitimate complaint, users should type www.ic3.gov directly into their browser instead of clicking links or searching for the website.
The FBI also advised people to be cautious about online content designed to trigger strong emotional reactions, including anger, fear or disbelief. Taking time to verify information before responding can help prevent further fraud.
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