Law Enforcement Impersonation Scam
Scammers pose as police, FBI, or DEA claiming warrant for your arrest. Real police never call demanding payment.
🚩 Red Flags
- ⚠Call about warrant demanding payment
- ⚠Payment via gift cards or crypto
- ⚠Threats of immediate arrest
- ⚠Told to keep it secret
🛡️ Protect Yourself
- →HANG UP: Real police don't demand phone payment
- →VERIFY: Call agency using official number
- →KNOW: Warrants aren't resolved by gift cards
- →Real legal issues come with written notice
More Details
- “This is Officer [Name] with the Sheriff's department”
- “There's a warrant for your arrest”
- “Pay the fine now to avoid arrest”
- “Officers are being dispatched”
Common Questions
Never. IRS contacts by mail first, never threatens immediate arrest, never demands gift cards or crypto.
No. SSNs cannot be suspended — this is impossible. Any message saying this is 100% a scam.
Never. Warrants go through courts, not phone payments. Hang up.
Hang up. Call the agency using the number from their .gov website. IRS: 1-800-829-1040. SSA: 1-800-772-1213.
Report This Scam
If you've encountered this scam, report it to help protect others.
Warn Someone You Know
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Related Scams
IRS Phone Call Scam
Scammers pose as IRS threatening arrest for unpaid taxes. IRS never calls threatening arrest and always starts with mailed letters.
Social Security Suspension Scam
Scammers claim your SSN has been "suspended" due to criminal activity. This is impossible—SSNs cannot be suspended.
Grandparent Emergency Scam
Scammers pose as grandchild in crisis—arrested, hospitalized, stranded. Modern versions use AI voice cloning. FBI IC3: 357 complaints, $2.7M losses in 2024.
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73% of Americans targeted(Pew, 2025)
|$470M lost to text scams in 2024(FTC)
|$16.6B total losses(FBI IC3, 2024)