The FBI warns about phone scams where callers impersonate police or federal agents and threaten arrest unless the victim pays immediately. The scams use pressure tactics (keeping victims on the phone, urging secrecy) and push hard-to-trace payments like prepaid cards, crypto, wire transfers, or cash to a courier.
Mirage safely runs attacks like this one against your own team, so you find out what happens before a real adversary does.
“This is Agent Miller. You’re tied to a criminal investigation and there’s an arrest action pending unless you resolve this now.” This is a vishing scam the FBI says has cost over $1.6 billion. Fake cops or federal agents threaten arrest, keep you on the phone, and push you to pay right now with prepaid cards, wire transfers, crypto, or even cash to a courier. They’ll say you missed jury duty or are linked to a crime, threaten arrest or prosecution, order you not to tell anyone, and insist you stay on the line while you pay to "remove charges" or "assist an investigation." Here’s the rule: if a caller threatens arrest and demands immediate payment, hang up, then call the real agency using a number you find yourself.
The FBI says scammers posing as law enforcement or government officials stole over $1.6B since January 2025, mainly by calling victims and threatening arrest, fines, or legal trouble unless they pay. Variants include jury-duty threats, targeted calls to medical professionals about license issues,…
Researchers spotted a Telegram job ad recruiting callers to impersonate the “Google Account Security Team” and run voice-phishing calls. The ad absurdly claimed “NO SCRIPT READING” while also publishing the exact phone script to use, showing a repeatable, real-world vishing workflow.
US authorities arrested two Americans accused of helping North Korean “fake IT workers” get hired remotely at US companies and route company laptops into US-based “laptop farms.” The scheme used stolen or fake identities and location-masking tools so overseas workers could appear to be working from…
Leaked chat logs linked to the Silent Ransom Group describe efforts to pressure U.S. law firms through extortion and, unusually, by sending in-person “agents” to physically enter offices and copy data. The FBI previously warned that people tied to the group were posing as IT staff to gain access,…
Dutch police are investigating ShinyHunters after a phone-based social engineering incident helped attackers break into Odido, the Netherlands’ largest mobile provider. Investigators say the caller persuaded an employee to log into a spoofed website, which was then used to steal data on more than…
The article describes a common fraud pattern where scammers impersonate police, government officials, or other trusted authorities over the phone to pressure victims into paying via a Bitcoin/crypto ATM. The victim is told their money is at risk, instructed to withdraw cash, and then directed to…
