Fake FBI fraud reporting sites

Updates on Elder Fraud

While my earlier blog posts were focused on instructional design, I want to repurpose this blog for updates on elder fraud and related scams. There is so much going on in this area that even a newsletter seemed like it would be inefficient. Please share this blog with others who you believe would be interested. You can see my Recognizing and Responding to Elder Fraud training module here. It is free and I encourage you to share it with others.

One of the lastest approaches by criminals is to scam victims a second time by pretending to be the FBI or other law enforcment authorities, and directing fraud victims to report on fake FBI websites. Victims may be contacted through social media, Signal, or some other means. Here are a few things to remember.

The correct website for reporting frauds and scams is the FBI's Internet Crimie Complain Center. The web address is www.ic3.gov. Make sure you use this address, not a web address that is sent to you by some other means.

The FBI will not reach out to you via social media, WhatsApp, Signal, or similar tools. If they need to follow-up on your IC3.gov report, they will contact the local FBI field office and agents will personally reach out to you. And you can call your local FBI field office to verify the identities of those would say they are agents.

To find out more about this fraudulent activity, please see the Public Service Announcement that the FBI has prepared on this issue by clicking here. Also note that our Recognizing and Reporting Elder Fraud training has a video describing how to report elder fraud. From the Menu, select Learning and Resources, then click How to Report Elder Fraud.