Fake FBI IC3 recovery help or lookalike complaint site
After people lose money to a scam, criminals come back posing as the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center and offering to recover the funds. IC3 does not call, email, or message people, and it will never charge a recovery fee.
How it works
Someone who already lost money may get an email, a phone call, a social media message, or see an ad offering help. In one version, after a victim says they will report the crime, a fake FBI agent contacts them on Facebook Messenger or Telegram and sends a link to 'update' an IC3 report. In another, AI-generated videos of a senior FBI leader appear on social media and point people to a lookalike website. The fake site collects a name, phone number, email, scam type, and loss amount, then shows a reference number. The goal is to steal more information or money. IC3 has no social media accounts and does not recover funds on Facebook, Telegram, or similar apps.
Red flags
- Someone claiming to be IC3 or the FBI contacts you by phone, email, chat, or social media.
- They offer to recover lost money, or they ask you to pay a recovery fee.
- A video or ad tells you to use a site that is not exactly ic3.gov.
- The 'complaint' form is unusually short and then says someone will contact you.
What to do
- Type www.ic3.gov directly into your browser if you need to file or check a complaint. Skip sponsored search results.
- Do not send more money, gift cards, or cryptocurrency to anyone offering recovery help.
- Report impersonation accounts to the social network, and file a real complaint at ic3.gov.
- Also report the contact at reportfraud.ftc.gov. If you are 60 or older and need help, call 1-833-FRAUD-11.
Where to report it
- reportfraud.ftc.gov — the FTC's report form.
- ic3.gov — the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.