Law Enforcement Impersonation Scams

Greek police arrested 17 people, including nine military personnel, for operating a cryptocurrency investment pyramid scheme that defrauded at least 10,000 participants of over $8 million since 2025. The operation used fake online platforms across multiple Greek cities to promise guaranteed high returns and double investments within 50 days, while failing to return deposited funds. Police seized €295,090 in cash along with computers and mobile devices during raids on five offices.

In 2025, Northern Ireland residents lost more than £814,400 to romance scams, with police receiving 61 reports of dating fraud where criminals built fake online relationships to manipulate victims into sending money. The PSNI believes the actual number of victims is higher due to underreporting, as victims often feel embarrassed to come forward, and warns that scammers use emotional manipulation and false promises of repayment to exploit trust before requesting financial help or investment opportunities.

In 2025, Northern Ireland received 61 reports of romance scams resulting in losses totaling £814,400, prompting the Police Service of Northern Ireland to warn the public about this type of fraud on World Romance Scams Prevention Day. Romance scammers build fake relationships through dating sites and social media, gaining victims' trust before requesting money under false pretenses such as medical emergencies, travel costs, or investment opportunities, with no intention to repay. Authorities urge the public never to send money to people met only online and encourage victims to report the fraud to their banks and police without shame, as help and support are available.

A Lee County woman avoided a scam in which fraudsters impersonated sheriff's deputies and threatened arrest over missed jury duty to extort money. The scheme instructs victims to withdraw cash from ATMs and purchase money vouchers, reading the voucher numbers aloud so scammers can steal the funds. Authorities warn that law enforcement never requests payment via ATM and encourage residents to hang up and call 911 if they receive such calls.

The Honolulu Police Department is warning of scammers impersonating law enforcement and government officials who use spoofed caller IDs and fake badge numbers to trick victims into paying for fake classes via digital payment apps like Apple Pay, Zelle, and Cash App. One fraud group has been fraudulently using the identity and photograph of a former HPD sergeant to pose as an FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center agent in cryptocurrency recovery schemes. Victims are advised to immediately halt contact with scammers, notify their banks, and file reports with local police and the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.

A Hopewell Township resident lost over $20,800 in a fake Apple Security scam where fraudsters gained remote access to his computer and made unauthorized cryptocurrency transfers from his bank account. Another resident was targeted by a jury duty scam where a caller impersonating a sheriff's officer threatened her with arrest and demanded cash bail, and a third victim lost $15,000 after being tricked into withdrawing cash and meeting a courier through a computer pop-up scam.

Scammers placed fake QR code stickers on parking meters in Ann Arbor, Michigan's downtown area, with labels like "Scan to Park!" that direct users to fraudulent websites designed to steal personal and financial information. Ann Arbor police warn residents not to scan unfamiliar QR codes on meters and recommend using only official payment methods, with particular concern that older residents may be more vulnerable to this scam. City employees have been instructed to remove suspicious stickers from meters and residents are urged to report them to police to prevent identity theft and financial loss.

Conexus Credit Union marks Cyber Security Awareness Month by highlighting that cybercrime affects all age groups, not just seniors, and emphasizes common fraud types including social engineering, romance scams, investment scams, verification code scams, and overpayment scams. The credit union recommends people familiarize themselves with fraud warning signs, follow the "three R's" (recognize, reject, report), and notes that only 5-10% of Canadian scams are reported. Conexus advises monitoring accounts through transaction alerts, never sharing verification codes, and reporting suspected fraud immediately to financial institutions and police.

Scammers are impersonating real federal law enforcement agents and calling New Jersey residents, using the names of actual FBI employees and spoofed federal agency phone numbers to gain victims' trust and solicit money. The scheme is an evolved version of traditional federal impersonation fraud that makes it particularly difficult for victims and agencies to identify as fraudulent, with some scammers even creating fake virtual meetings with FBI office backdrops. The FBI Newark field office has documented multiple victims of this scam but has not disclosed specific dollar amounts stolen.

Two individuals, James Card and Tykeria Washington, were arrested after impersonating federal, court, and law enforcement officials to scam an elderly Perry, Georgia resident out of approximately $70,000. The suspects threatened the victim with arrest and coerced her to withdraw cash, purchase cryptocurrency, and transfer funds to other individuals before police located and intervened. Card was charged with theft by extortion, elderly exploitation, and impersonation of an officer, while Washington was charged with elderly exploitation, with the investigation ongoing to identify additional participants.