Beware of Scammers

Criminals are impersonating Criminal Division personnel to commit fraud.

These criminals may contact victims by phone, email, SMS (text message), encrypted applications, social media, or a letter from someone pretending to be from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division.  Although their approaches may vary, these actors are typically seeking to secure your private information including personally identifiable information (PII) or bank account information, or to convince you an urgent matter requires you to release money to resolve the issue.   

Criminal Division personnel will not contact members of the public via SMS (text message), Telegram, Signal, WhatsApp, or similar encrypted mobile applications to solicit money via wire, online transfer, or crypto currency, or to threaten to freeze bank accounts.  If you suspect a scam, stop communicating immediately.

Do not transfer funds to anyone claiming to act on behalf of or to represent the Criminal Division or any of its sections.

To learn more about how to spot an attempted scam, and what to do if you fall victim, visit the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crime Complaint Center webpage and review their public service announcements, including the December 19, 2025 alert “Senior U.S. Officials Continue to be Impersonated in Malicious Messaging Campaign.”