A caller says they are with the police, a court or a government agency. They say you missed jury duty, there is a warrant for your arrest, or your name is linked to a crime. You must pay now to make it go away. The FBI says law enforcement and government authorities will never contact the public by phone or text to demand any form of payment, or to ask for personal or sensitive information.1
In a notice dated September 17, 2026, the FBI said its Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received nearly 61,000 complaints about law enforcement or government impersonation scams between January 2025 and July 2026, with losses of more than $1.6 billion.1
This is Officer Miller with the county sheriff’s office. You missed your jury duty date and a warrant has been issued for your arrest. To clear it today you must pay the fine. Do not hang up and do not discuss this with anyone.
How to tell
- You are accused of something. The caller says you are connected to a crime, missed jury duty or missed a court date, and threatens arrest, prosecution or jail if you do not pay.1
- Your license or passport is “expiring.” Some callers say your passport, driver’s license or professional license needs a paid renewal right now.1
- The caller ID looks official. Scammers often fake real phone numbers, email addresses, employee names and credentials of real agencies.1
- They are aggressive and will not let go. They use an urgent tone, keep you on the phone the whole time, and refuse to talk to anyone else.1
- You are told to keep it secret. They urge you not to tell family, friends, your bank or the police.1
- They want an unusual payment. They ask for prepaid cards, cryptocurrency, cash put into a cryptocurrency kiosk, a bank wire, or a courier to collect the money. The FBI says officials will never ask for payment by prepaid card, cryptocurrency or courier.1
- It may be a video call. Scammers use artificial intelligence (AI) to appear as officials on video calls.1
What to do
- Do not pay, and do not give personal information. Hang up or stop replying.1
- Check whether anything is really due. If you are worried about a missed court date, a fine or a license, look up the agency or court’s contact details yourself from official, public information and ask them. Do not use any number, email or link the caller gave you.1
- Ask a caller for credentials if you like, but confirm them only through the agency’s own published contact details.1
- Before you open any web link you are sent, check that it matches the agency’s official address. Scammers use addresses that look close to the real one, such as ending in .com instead of .gov.1
If you already clicked or paid
- Stop all contact with the scammers right away.1
- Tell your bank and other financial institutions so they can protect your accounts.1
- Ask for your money back, using the step that matches how you paid. For a wire transfer, report it to the wire transfer company and ask for a refund. For a gift card, call the issuer on the number on the back of the card and keep the card and receipt. For cryptocurrency, contact the exchange or the cryptocurrency ATM operator, tell them it was a fraudulent transaction, and ask them to reverse it.2
- Keep your financial records and any texts, emails or messages.1
Where to report it
- Your local police. Contact your local law enforcement agency and file a report.1
- The FBI. File a complaint with IC3 at www.ic3.gov. Include the scammers’ phone numbers and email addresses, bank account details or cryptocurrency addresses, details of any payments asked for or sent, and copies of texts or emails.1