08/30/2023

Fraudulent Calls to Consumers

Minnesota

Federal and state authorities are warning the public about fraudulent calls from people claiming to be from the FBI or Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. The callers try to manipulate people into giving them private information such as Social Security numbers, banking information, and home addresses.

Scammers are using spoofing technology that makes caller ID match the official phone numbers of the FBI and the BCA, according to a news release Monday. By pretending they are conducting an official investigation, the callers ask for private information.

While real FBI and BCA agents may contact people during investigations, it’s important for people to verify whether the person is a legitimate agent by asking for a callback number and then calling the agency’s official general information line to verify.

“A legitimate BCA agent will encourage you to call the main phone number and confirm their identity. If the person who called doesn’t want you to do that, hang up the phone. It’s a scammer,” BCA Superintendent Drew Evans said.

The FBI’s number is 763-569-8000, and the BCA’s is 651-793-7000.

Anyone victim of this scam can call to find out how to receive help. More information about recognizing and reporting scams can be found on the Internet Crime Complaint Center website at ic3.gov.