The FBI has reissued a public warning on July 4 following a rise in phone scams targeting smartphone users.
These scams involve fraudulent calls where criminals pretend to be federal agents in order to extort money from victims.
The warning, originally issued in June, emphasized that the FBI never calls individuals to demand payments or threaten arrest. Scammers have been using spoofed phone numbers to appear as legitimate FBI contacts.
Now, additional federal agencies have joined the FBI in issuing alerts. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the U.S. Marshals Service have reported an increase in such impersonation scams and are urging the public to stay cautious.
According to the ATF, they are cooperating with the FBI in investigating the scam. They advised people not to share personal or financial information with unsolicited callers claiming to be federal agents.
The U.S. Marshals Service emphasized they never call citizens to settle court-related matters or collect payments.
Their warning highlighted that scammers often use real names of Marshals to make their calls seem credible, as Forbes reported.
The FBI clarified that it does not contact individuals to demand money in exchange for avoiding criminal charges. Instead, victims are