The Federal Communications Commission alerts consumers to a surge in fake calls, texts, and the increasingly damaging gold courier schemes, urging vigilance against impersonation attempts that target vulnerable populations.
The Federal Communications Commission has warned that scammers are increasingly posing as agency officials in calls and texts, sometimes even using the names of real employees to sound credible. The fraudsters tell people their phone numbers are under investigation for criminal activity, then threaten legal trouble or push them to hand over money and sensitive financial details. The agency says it will never contact consumers in that way, never direct them to a special law enforcement hotline and never demand payment to fix a supposed problem.
The alert comes against a backdrop of record imposter fraud. The Federal Trade Commission said Americans filed more than 1 million reports of imposter scams in 2025, keeping it the most commonly reported fraud for a ninth straight year. Consumers said they lost $3.5 billion to these schemes, including about $920 million to people pretending to be government officials. The FBI has also been warning this year about malicious messaging campaigns in which criminals impersonate senior U.S. officials by text, voice messages and calls, sometimes using AI-generated audio to sound more convincing.
Officials say the same playbook is appearing in other forms. In June, the FTC warned about scammers posing as local law enforcement, using spoofed caller ID and claims about confiscated packages to pressure victims into paying fake fines. Earlier in the year, the FBI said fraudsters were impersonating law enforcement and government agencies in calls designed to steal personal information or extort money. The common thread is urgency: the caller creates fear, then demands immediate action before the target can verify the story.
One especially damaging variation is the gold courier scam, which has been drawing warnings from prosecutors and police. New York Attorney General Letitia James said last week that seniors in the state have been hit hard, while the New York Police Department has investigated more than 100 such cases over the past two years, with losses topping $100 million. In these schemes, victims are told their savings or identities are at risk and are urged to convert assets into gold before handing it to a courier. Authorities in Washington, D.C., and Hawaii have reported similar cases this year.
The FCC says the safest response is simple: hang up, do not share personal or banking information and contact the organisation directly using a verified number or website. The FTC says people who have already been targeted should call their bank or payment provider immediately, change passwords, turn on multi-factor authentication and file a complaint with federal and local authorities. Consumer advocates also recommend reviewing credit reports and account statements regularly, because scammers often rely on public information and prior victim lists to make their pitches more convincing.
Disclaimer: This article is intended to inform and educate, not to recommend or endorse any financial product, investment or strategy. Please consider your own financial circumstances and seek professional advice where appropriate before making financial decisions.
