The FBI has launched a nationwide campaign called “Take a Beat” to raise awareness about the growing problem of online fraud and scams. The campaign encourages people to take a moment to verify the legitimacy of messages they receive, especially those that create a sense of urgency or prey upon emotions. Scammers often use urgent-sounding phone calls, text messages, or emails to ask for money or personal information.
They may claim that the recipient or a loved one is in trouble. Soudabeh Enayati lost $950 to a scammer who pretended to be from Citibank’s fraud department. The scammer had her personal information and convinced her to transfer money to a different account.
Special Agent in Charge Robert Tripp from the FBI San Francisco field office said these scams work by getting people into a heightened emotional state and creating a sense of danger. The campaign also addresses cryptocurrency investment scams, where scammers present an opportunity to make huge sums of money.
Take a moment with scams
In the end, the victim finds out that the profit was imaginary and they lose all their investments. Impersonation or imposter scams are another focus. Scammers may pretend to be law enforcement, bank officials, or grand jury officers to extract money.
Seniors are especially targeted through the grandparent scam, where criminals use AI to clone a loved one’s voice, urging the senior to send money. The FBI also warns about “recovery scams.” After identifying a victim of fraud, the scammer offers to help recover the lost money for an additional fee. The FBI stresses that fraud can happen to anyone at any time and aims to curb these crimes through public education.
If you receive an unsolicited call with a sense of urgency, be very cautious. Victims of fraud or scams are encouraged to report it to the FBI online or by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI. In the first six months of this year, the FBI recorded $1.6 billion in fraud reported to the Internet Complaint Center, an increase of about $300 million from the same period last year.
