The FBI recently warned of con artists going after scam victims by posing as FBI agents and claiming to help get their money back.

Falling for a scam once feels bad enough. But the reality, experts say, is that if you’ve been a victim, there’s a good chance you’ll be targeted again — perhaps by the same swindler.

Grifters are out and about like never before: Americans lost $12.5 billion to fraud in 2024, according to the Federal Trade Commission, a 25% increase from the year prior. These scams included investment scams and job scams.

Here’s how to avoid becoming a victim twice.

What steps can I take to ensure that I don’t become a repeat victim?

If you’re a scam victim and want to do everything you can to avoid becoming one again, there are several steps you can take. 

Get ID theft protection

Most scams are intended to steal your money. But if in the process of falling victim to a scam you cough up your sensitive information to a bad actor, it could lead to identity theft. 

An identity theft and protection and monitoring service will actively look for clues that somebody else is using your identity, such as by monitoring your credit reports or the use of your Social Security number online. 

There are free services that monitor the dark web and your credit reports for unusual activity. But paid services offer more advanced features, such as bank account monitoring, identity theft insurance and identity restoration services in the event your ID is stolen.

Freeze your credit report.

A credit freeze on your credit reports — or your kids’ credit — stops criminals from opening a credit card or taking out a loan in your name. However, you won’t be able to either unless you unfreeze or “thaw” your credit. You must do this with all three major credit bureaus — Equifax, TransUnion and Experian.

Lock your Social Security number.

You can even lock your Social Security number. What this does is prevent somebody from using your Social Security number to apply for a job or collect government payments. It’s almost like making your SSN invisible.

Watch out for targeted phishing scams

After you’ve fallen victim once, you might start to see targeted phishing messages pop up in your texts or emails. This can happen after your personal data is compromised in a data breach, too. 

If you receive a message from someone posing as a government agency or perhaps an organization claiming they can refund your money, pay attention to the tone and language. If it’s pushy, demanding and contains suspicious-looking links, delete and report the message as spam right away.

Safeguard your personal data

Don’t be so quick to hand out your personal identifying information. If someone is asking for your bank details or your SSN, always ask why they need this information before providing it. 

Remember, you likely won’t get your money back

Unfortunately, once your money is in the hands of the scammers, it’s unlikely to come back. You can reach out to your bank but if they’re unable to reverse the wire transfer, your money is gone. However, if fraudsters got hold of your credit card information, you’re covered against fraudulent charges, so work with your card issuer to get those charges reversed.

Tactics used by scammers to try to trick you again

So, how do criminals try to trick victims again? They generally use tactics from the same playbook.

Scammers pose as authority figures 

This strategy is often referred to as an imposter scam. Granted, any crook pretending to be somebody they’re not is an imposter, but imposter scams typically refer to somebody pretending to have the power to make your life pretty uncomfortable — think law enforcement, a court judge or a high-profile attorney.

That’s why many thieves going after scam victims pose as FBI agents or somebody high up in the government, like an official from the FTC. Chances are, if you believe them to be who they say they are, you’re going to listen to them.

“People, especially those who are older, were raised to respect authority,” said Gary MacNamara, former Fairfield, Connecticut, Police Department chief, now the chief and executive director of public safety and government affairs at Sacred Heart University.

Scammers prey on your fear 

According to MacNamara, if somebody contacts you from the FBI, police or some other law enforcement entity, respect for authority isn’t the only thing they’re banking on. 

“Having the FBI approach or call will instill fear in someone,” MacNamara said. That fear will make it easier for them to convince you to do what they say.

In these situations, it’s important to slow down and try to think through the interaction. Why would the FBI need your banking information or other personal identifying information in order to help you get your money back? Chances are, they wouldn’t need to ask.

Scammers know you’re desperate 

You’re probably distressed if you’ve recently been scammed out of a lot of money. Crooks use that as leverage, 

“I have had many cases over the years where this kind of manipulation was used,” MacNamara said. “They also play on a sense of urgency, embarrassment and other techniques.” 

Sometimes, older people who have lost a lot of money are afraid their family members may put them in a nursing home, he added. Some tend not to reveal they’ve lost money, unless they have to, which just makes them more isolated and likely to accept help from an imposter government official.

How can you verify that the agency or person you’re speaking with isn’t a scammer?

Scammers are increasingly getting more skilled at spoofing government agencies — and swindling people out of their money multiple times over, as the FBI imposter scam warning demonstrates. 

“I can say with confidence that the FBI does not guarantee the recovery of funds lost to scams, nor does it charge for any such service,”  said Tracey Jenkins, a retired FBI supervisory special agent and an assistant teaching professor at Wichita State University School of Criminal Justice.

If the “agent” you’re speaking with claims to do so, your defenses should go up.

Regardless of the company or agency contacting you, find an independent phone number — not one the scammer provides — and call to them verify.

Why do my chances of being scammed again go up?

Your chances of being conned again after falling victim to a scam are for the same reasons that the famous Willie Sutton stated about robbing banks: “Because that’s where the money is.” Sutton actually didn’t say it, according to his memoir; a reporter doing a story on Sutton made up the quote. 

Still, it’s a great explanation as to why scammers often pursue scam victims. It also makes a lot of sense from a criminal’s perspective. You, the victim, have shown that you can be tricked, and now you’re scared and feeling vulnerable and possibly desperate for some help.

Scammers sometimes refer to this practice of going after scam victims as “reloading,” Jenkins said

“They or others use the victim’s past experience to try and scam them again, often under a different pretext,” he said. And often that different pretext is a crook posing as a good guy offering help.

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