The FBI has issued a new warning about scammers impersonating employees of its Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) to defraud individuals who have already fallen victim to previous scams.
According to a public service announcement released on Friday, the bureau has received over 100 reports of such schemes between December 2023 and February 2025.
These scammers contact victims via email, phone calls, social media, or online forums, claiming they have recovered stolen funds or can help recover them. However, the FBI says these offers are a ruse to revictimize individuals by stealing more of their personal or financial information.
In one case, fraudsters created fake female profiles in online support groups for scam victims and recommended reaching out to a so-called “Jaime Quin,” who falsely claimed to be the Chief Director of IC3 on Telegram. Quin would then falsely claim to have recovered funds, only to use the interaction to access sensitive financial details.
The FBI advises the public to never share financial or personal information with anyone met online or over the phone and warns that IC3 employees will never contact victims directly or request payment for fund recovery. They also do not refer individuals to third-party services that require payment.
This warning follows a similar trend of scam tactics, including impersonation of government officials using spoofed phone numbers and fake credentials. A related incident earlier this month involved Spanish police arresting scammers who posed as Europol agents to target crypto scam victims with fake tax claims.
