One of the most common scams in the U.S. today involves callers pretending to be government officials. Some claim to be tax officials and representatives from the Social Security Administration; others claim to be law enforcement officers and threaten legal consequences. All of them use fear and intimidation to trick victims into turning over personal information or money, often in the form of gift cards.
Shelley Polansky
A new investigative study by Better Business Bureau finds that while the number of government scam reports has fluctuated, scams have become more diverse and more sophisticated. In addition, many scammers have taken advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic by posing as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials, Internal Revenue Service representatives who can expedite economic impact payments, or contact tracers employed with local government agencies.
A recent AARP survey found that 44% of people in the U.S. have been contacted by one of these impersonators. Law enforcement officials have received hundreds of thousands of complaints. Complaints to the Federal Trade Commission report $450 million in losses since 2015.
In many cases, scammers insist they are law enforcement officers and threaten to arrest people immediately if they do not pay money, usually with gift cards. They may tell consumers their Social Security number has been associated with a crime or may threaten to deport recent immigrants or arrest people for missing jury duty.
How to complain about government impostor scams:
• IRS: The Internal Revenue Service advises people to fill out the “IRS Impersonation Scam” form on the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Impersonation’s website, tigta.gov, or call TIGTA at 1-800-366-4484.
• Social Security: The Office of the Inspector General, Social Security Administration has its own online form to take complaints about frauds impersonating the SSA.
• Federal Trade Commission: 877- FTC Help or ftc.gov.
• Internet Crime Complaint Center: https://www.ic3.gov/complaint/splash.aspx.
• File a report with BBB Scam Tracker.
~ Shelley Polansky, President & CEO, BBB Serving Northern Colorado and Wyoming