The FBI Portland Division has issued a warning to the public regarding a recent increase in scams involving individuals posing as FBI agents and other government officials. These scammers are demanding payments in the form of cash, gold, or cryptocurrency. The FBI has emphasized that federal agencies do not contact individuals via phone or email to threaten arrest or request money.
The scammers are using a technique known as caller ID spoofing to make their calls appear legitimate. If you receive a call like this, it is important to hang up immediately and report it to the authorities. The scammers often use intimidation tactics to pressure their victims into making quick payments through various methods such as cash, gold, prepaid cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency ATMs.
In 2023, the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reported a total of 14,190 victims of these types of scams, resulting in losses of over $394 million. The Portland Division alone saw losses totaling more than $1.7 million. Older adults are particularly vulnerable to these scams, with individuals over the age of 60 accounting for 58% of the national losses, which amounted to nearly $770 million.
