The FBI has issued a warning regarding a significant escalation in a long-standing scam involving impersonation of the Bureau’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Scammers are now utilizing deepfake videos of high-ranking FBI officials and creating spoofed IC3 websites to target previous fraud victims, seeking to defraud them a second time. This alarming trend reflects a sophisticated evolution in the tactics employed by these fraudsters.
A public service announcement released by the IC3 on July 20 highlights this recent uptick in fraudulent activity, which follows an earlier warning issued in April 2025 about similar schemes. The message underscores the increasing sophistication of tactics used by scammers, showcasing a shift from the basic text-only recovery pitches that were once common to operations that now appear to mimic official government procedures from start to finish.
Nick Tausek, the lead security automation architect at the security automation firm Swimlane, remarked on the heightened appearance of legitimacy in the current schemes. The combination of social media impersonation, generative AI technology for video production, and imitation complaint portals has culminated in a well-coordinated campaign that heightens the risks for unsuspecting individuals.
One notable variant of this scheme involved a fraud victim who had previously filed a complaint with the IC3. This individual was contacted via Facebook Messenger by someone impersonating an FBI agent. The impersonator provided a link purportedly to update the victim’s report, but the link either contained malicious code or was designed to collect additional financial information from the victim.
The FBI’s recent alerts emphasize the emergence of AI-generated videos on social media platforms, in which a senior FBI official appeared to urge users to file complaints on a fake IC3 site. This deceptive portal closely resembled the authentic ic3.gov but had been stripped down to a simplified form requesting personal details such as name, phone number, email, scam type, and estimated financial loss. Once victims submitted their information, the site generated a reference number, falsely promising follow-up, while simultaneously allowing scammers to harvest more data.
Pete Luban, a field CISO at the breach-and-attack simulation company AttackIQ, noted the psychological weight that messages appearing to originate from the FBI hold in the context of phishing. Victims who believe they are interacting with law enforcement may inadvertently provide sensitive information, including credentials, financial records, or internal details, without adhering to standard verification protocols. This echoes findings from a May 2025 report by Group-IB, which documented a series of scams using deepfake videos of public figures to funnel victims into fraudulent platforms.
The FBI has also indicated that scammers are employing AI-generated video technology in live calls, where they impersonate executives or officials. Users are warned to be vigilant for signs of digital manipulation. Abnormalities such as distorted hands, unrealistic accessories, shadows that don’t align correctly, and noticeable delays in voice communication can all indicate that the content is not genuine.
To counteract these sophisticated scams, the IC3 has reiterated that it does not maintain any social media profiles and does not communicate through platforms like Facebook or Telegram, nor does it engage via phone calls or public forums. The Bureau emphasized that it never requests payment to recover lost funds.
To protect themselves, users are advised to directly type “ic3.gov” into their browser’s address bar and to be cautious of sponsored search results or URLs that do not end in the “.gov” domain. This further emphasizes the importance of vigilance in a landscape where phishing and scams are evolving rapidly, leveraging advanced technologies to deceive unsuspecting victims. The community must remain informed and cautious to mitigate the risks posed by these ongoing threats.