Some Tallahassee residents targeted in FBI impersonation scam; agency urges people to verify, report calls

Christopher Cann, Tallahassee Democrat
·2 min read
A government impersonation scam has been targeting some local Tallahassee residents, causing the government agency to issue a statement reminding the public that they will not call and threaten to arrest people in lieu of settlement payments.
A government impersonation scam has been targeting some local Tallahassee residents, causing the government agency to issue a statement reminding the public that they will not call and threaten to arrest people in lieu of settlement payments.

A scam has been preying upon unsuspecting Tallahassee residents recently, causing the FBI to issue an official statement on the matter: "(We) Do Not Threaten Individuals or Demand Immediate Payment."

In this scheme, scammers will call, text or email messages saying charges have been, or soon will be, filed against people on the receiving end. Then, if they do not pay an immediate "settlement," the supposed FBI agents will have their bank accounts frozen or see that they are arrested.

“Nobody wants to be the subject of a law enforcement investigation, and scammers are using that knowledge to intimidate people into handing over their hard-earned money. Don’t fall for it,” said Sherri Onks, special agent in charge of the FBI Jacksonville Division, in a statement.

Within the last week, the FBI's Jacksonville field office has received eight reports from Tallahasseeans who called to verify the claim they are being investigated by the federal bureau, said FBI Jacksonville spokesperson Amanda Videll.

She said many more than eight people are receiving these calls, they are likely just hanging up or ignoring them.

Around this time of year, the most common "government impersonation scam," as Videll called them, are people claiming to be IRS representatives and asking those on the other line for their bank account information.

She added, it’s important that people resist the urge to act immediately and take the time to verify who is actually contacting them.

For those who receive these calls and messages should immediately report them to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at www.ic3.gov.

According to the agency, "filing a complaint allows analysts from the FBI to identify leads and patterns from the hundreds of complaints that are received daily."

Anyone who has been a victim of this type of scam, or any similar one should also file a report with local law enforcement agency and contact the Federal Trade Commission at www.identitytheft.gov, according to the FBI website.

Contact Christopher Cann at ccann@tallahassee.com and follow @ChrisCannFL on Twitter.

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahasseeans targeted by people claiming to be FBI agents