If there were a contest for worst scam offender, impersonator scams would win. Year after year, they’ve topped the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC’s) list of most reported scams, and 2025 was no exception. Scammers are very good at impersonating well-known businesses and government agencies, and at making up a crisis while telling all kinds of lies. That helps them trick people—including older adults—into paying thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. Imposter scams account for some of the highest reported losses by adults ages 60 and older.
While impersonator scams come in all shapes and sizes, reports to the FTC show that they also often come up in combination. Harry (not his real name) reported to the FTC that he experienced a scam combining business and government impersonators. His scam combo started when he received an email about a $1,500 fraudulent charge to his credit card.
Harry didn’t recall having that particular card but immediately called the number in the email to get more information. In retrospect, Harry admits that was a mistake. While he knows not to contact phone numbers in unexpected emails, he says that he got caught up in the moment. When Harry called, the first man he spoke with said someone had ordered $1,500 in merchandise, including a gaming console, which was already being shipped.
“Then he transferred me to someone else who could help me clear the matter up, but he needed my information,” said Harry. “Or I would have to hire a criminal attorney because charges would be filed against me.” In all, Harry talked to three different individuals who claimed to work for the FTC and the U.S. Marshals Service—all offering to help. Unfortunately, every single one of them was a scammer.
Scammers Create a Sense of Urgency
Harry’s experience shows scammers’ tactics of using urgency and fear, scaring people into giving money and sharing personal information in the hope of resolving a problem that’s really made up. In Harry’s case, his belief that he was in trouble led him to eventually share his bank’s name and the last four digits of his Social Security number. As this was happening, Harry also got locked out of his bank account after entering the wrong password several times.
The alleged FTC official on the phone (who was really a scammer) told Harry to go to the bank and keep him on speaker phone for instructions on what to do and say to the teller—which is another tactic scammers use to keep people from talking to anyone who might stop the scam.
“Then he transferred me to someone else who could help me clear the matter up, but he needed my information,” said Harry. “Or I would have to hire a criminal attorney because charges would be filed against me.”
Luckily, we’ll never know just how much money scammers wanted Harry to withdraw because Harry got suspicious. He started thinking, “I don’t have that credit card. Something’s wrong here.” He got off the phone and searched online to find the real phone number for the card. Once he verified there were no fraudulent charges on his account, he went to his bank. The bank confirmed this had been an imposter scam, helped him secure his accounts, and told him to report the scam to the FTC.
While Harry didn’t lose money, he had given scammers his information. As he puts it, “this wasn’t their first rodeo.” So, after filing a fraud report, Harry followed the FTC’s advice on what to do after his identity was exposed, how to freeze his credit, and how to protect himself from scams.
Scammers Target Everyone
Not every scam experience turns out as well as Harry’s. Unfortunately, some people lose hard-earned money to scammers who pretend to be real businesses and government agencies. “I’m 70 years old, but I still work in IT. I’m an intelligent man, but they had me in their pockets,” said Will (not his real name), who lost $3,000 in two different wire transfers after he answered an unexpected call.
“The call came in as Chase, and I don’t have a Chase account. That should have been a red flag. But then he said my Zelle and Apple accounts were locked and transferred me to someone who could help me.”
This “helper” claimed to be an FBI agent, and even shared a badge number, which Will now knows is fake. The call quickly went from supposed fraudulent activity on Will’s bank accounts to a request to send money to help the FBI arrest the so-called thief misusing his accounts. “It made me angry and they convinced me I was helping them catch the guy collecting the money I sent. They also asked me not to tell anyone because it was an active investigation.”
“The call came in as Chase, and I don’t have a Chase account. That should have been a red flag. But then he said my Zelle and Apple accounts were locked and transferred me to someone who could help me.”
Scammers often use the name of real government employees, share ID or badge numbers, and ask people to keep everything a secret. Will was supposed to get his money back as soon as they caught “the bad guy,” but the only thing he got were more calls and texts asking him to send still more money. Will’s son eventually convinced him to stop sending money because he recognized it as a scam.
“People think, this will never happen to me. But here I am, licking my wounds and wondering: how did that ever happen to me?” Will said. “I’m very embarrassed.” Such feelings are extremely common after someone has been scammed; however, it can be helpful to remember—and to remind others—that scammers never target just one person, and scams can happen to anyone. When a scam occurs, the first step is trying to recover any money lost. While it can be difficult to get money back, there are still steps worth taking if a scammer was paid.
Taking Action
To fight against imposter scams, the FTC and other federal, state and local government agencies continue to investigate reports, warn consumers, and bring law enforcement cases. But there also are ways to help protect yourself and your community. Start by learning how to recognize the signs of an imposter scam and then talk to others about them. Have an action plan to help slow down and check out unexpected calls, emails, or texts to avoid a scam. And, when contacted unexpectedly:
- Verify the story. Contact the organization in question using a verified phone number, website, or email address. Don’t use the contact information in the unexpected message or any number they gave. That’ll lead straight to the scammers.
- Know how scammers demand payment. Nobody legitimate will ever say you can only pay by cash, gift card, cryptocurrency, wire transfer or gold. And never pay anyone who demands money in an unexpected call or message — even if they claim that moving your money will help “protect it.”
- Talk to someone you know and trust—before paying. Especially if someone on the phone says the problem is serious, involves a crime, or they claim to be from the government.
Stay on top of the latest fraud trends by signing up for alerts at ftc.gov/ConsumerAlerts. And if you think you’ve spotted a scam, tell the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Gema de las Heras is a consumer education specialist at the Federal Trade Commission in Washington, DC.
Photo credit: Shutterstock/DimaBerlin
