Overview
- The FBI updated its Internet Crime Complaint Center public service alert on July 20, 2026, to report that scammers have upgraded tactics to target people who already lost money to fraud.
- One common scheme starts with fake FBI profiles on social platforms that move victims from Facebook Messenger to Telegram and then send links that can install malware or collect more financial information.
- A second scheme uses AI-generated video of senior FBI officials to promote spoofed IC3 webpages that accept a short complaint, return a fake reference number, and promise follow-up contact.
- The bureau stressed that IC3 has no official social-media accounts, never initiates direct contact, and will never ask for money to recover funds, and it urged people to type www.ic3.gov directly and avoid sponsored search links.
- The alert highlights a broader trend of brand impersonation and easy-to-use AI tools that raise the risk of large-scale revictimization by making fake sites and videos look convincing.