FBI data show nearly 61,000 complaints about fake police and government-official scams from January 2025 to July 2026; reported cases put losses at about $1.6 billion. Some scammers threaten arrest or extradition, but legitimate law enforcement will not demand money.
Foreign nationals, international students and immigrants were targeted with threats to cancel visas or home-country passports, or to extradite them. Victims lost an average of $26,000 per scam, and one scam accounted for 10% of losses while targeting fewer than 3% of victims.
Scammers sometimes used video calls, uniforms, suits and staged settings to appear official. The article advises asking for credentials and checking them; end the conversation if they cannot be verified, and hang up if anyone claiming to be law enforcement demands money.
