The FBI warns that scammers impersonating FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) employees offer to “help” fraud victims recover money lost to other scammers.

Over the last two years, between December 2023 and February 2025, the FBI said it has received over 100 reports of fraudsters using this tactic.

“Complainants report initial contact from the scammers can vary. Some individuals received an email or a phone call, while others were approached via social media or forums,” the law enforcement agency warned in a Friday public service announcement.

“Almost all complainants indicated the scammers claimed to have recovered the victim’s lost funds or offered to assist in recovering funds. However, the claim is a ruse to revictimize those who have already lost money to scams.”

In a recent example of such an impersonation scheme, scammers created female persona profiles on social media networking sites and joined groups for financial fraud victims, pretending to be fellow victims.

They then recommended that victims contact “Jaime Quin,” who claims to be the Chief Director of IC3, via Telegram. Once contacted, Quin said he had recovered the victims’ lost funds, but this was a ploy to gain access to their financial information and revictimize them.

How to protect yourself

To protect yourself from similar scam attempts, never share sensitive information with individuals you have only met online or over the phone, and don’t send them money, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or other financial assets.

The FBI added that IC3 employees will never contact victims directly through phone calls, email, social media, mobile apps, or public forums. Additionally, they will never ask for payment to recover stolen funds or refer victims to companies that require payment for fund recovery.

Two years ago, the FBI warned of widespread fraud schemes in which scammers impersonate government or law enforcement officials by spoofing authentic phone numbers and using fake credentials to steal personally identifiable information or extort money from potential victims.

Earlier this month, the Spanish National Police also arrested half a dozen suspects who contacted the victims of their cryptocurrency investment scam, posing as Europol agents or U.K. lawyers and claiming they could help them recover the lost funds if they paid what amounted to local tax costs.