Government Impersonation Scams On The Rise

Government Impersonation Scams On The Rise

Christy Bieber Fri, April 18, 2025  Moneywise

This California man lost everything when phone scammers pretended to be US Marshals. Here's what they said

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office has Southern Californians on the alert for a new strain of phone scams that cost one Ojai resident his life savings.

Someone claiming to be a law enforcement agent with the United States Marshals Service called him and told him to send all his money to an out-of-state location.

As KTLA 5 reports, after the Ojai man complied with the instructions, he met with local police and discovered he’d been conned.

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The Sheriff’s Office issued a release warning people to be wary of this and other scams involving government impersonation.

Government Impersonation Scams On The Rise

Their warning is relevant nationwide, as a growing number of con artists impersonating government agents are scamming Americans out of their hard-earning savings.

Last year, the U.S. Marshals Service warned of a spike in similar scams in Cincinnati, as reported on the local station WLWT 5.

Of course, government impersonation scams aren’t limited to phone calls.

In 2023, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (ICC) reported a spike of more than 60% in online government impersonation scams that robbed 14,190 people — the majority of them older adults — of more than $390 million in savings.

What Can You Do If You're Scammed?

If you’re the victim of an impersonation scam (whether it’s someone posing as a federal agent, IT professional or a bank rep) you can try to get your money back.

But it’s important to act fast.

The Federal Trade Commision advises that you immediately attempt to stop payment or reverse the financial transaction.

TO READ MORE:  https://www.yahoo.com/news/california-man-lost-everything-phone-203000550.html