Scammers spoof FBI website for cybercrime complaints
KHOU | Criminals are creating fake websites to impersonate the FBI’s internet crime reporting site, targeting people who have been victimized by scams.
The FBI is warning the public about fake sites that look almost identical to its own Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). The fraudulent sites are designed to trick people into giving up personal information, including names, addresses, and even banking details.
The FBI will never ask for money to file a complaint or to recover lost funds. Any request for payment is a scam.
Operation Shamrock’s Founder Erin West explains that scammers are deliberately targeting vulnerable people, especially those who have already reported a loss to other fraudsters. It’s all part of the “scamdemic,” the growing financial fraud activity that is stealing billions from people every year.
“When we get any electronic communication we did not specifically ask for, we need to treat that as a scam until proven otherwise.”
Advice from the FBI
Type URLs directly: Always enter www.ic3.gov directly into your browser instead of clicking on search results.
Watch for subtle changes: Be alert for misspelled web addresses or different endings like .com or .org.
Avoid sponsored results: Never click on a “sponsored result” from a search engine when trying to reach a government site.
Full article: 'Particularly devious' | Scammers now spoofing FBI website for cybercrime complaints