This Maryland senior was tricked into believing she was an FBI ‘asset’ in a drug smuggling case — the scam cost her nearly $600K. Here’s what happened and how to protect yourself ASAP

What is a government impersonation scam?

Government impersonation scams occur when criminals pretend to be from government agencies and trick people into giving them their money. These scams can take different forms including:

• The Federal Trade Commission announcing you won a lottery but must pay taxes or fees to collect your winnings.
• The Social Security Administration threatening to end your benefits or suspend your Social Security number if you don’t make an immediate payment.
• The IRS calling to inform you you’re at risk of arrest, deportation, or driver’s license suspension if you don’t pay your tax bill.
• Someone from Medicare calling to ask for your information for a claim or to collect payment
• An FBI agent or the police calling because you’ve been linked to a crime and need to help them out to avoid arrest.

In most cases, the phone number will show up as being from the “agency” that’s calling you — and the scammers may even use the name of a real government employee. They’re actually just trying to collect personal data or take your money, though. They may drain your accounts, misuse your personal details, or try to get you to give them gift cards or cash.

Sadly, these scams are common because they are successful. In 2023, FTC records show consumers lost $76 million to these types of tricks.

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How to protect yourself

Scammers can be very convincing, but there are ways to protect yourself.

First and foremost, know what legitimate government agencies will do. They don’t call you out of the blue, they don’t threaten your money or security for failure to comply with orders, and they don’t ask for money, gift cards, or personal details over the phone. You should also be aware that the phone number on your caller ID may not be a legitimate one as this can be spoofed.

Your single best option when someone “from the government” calls is to just hang up immediately. If you suspect there may be a legitimate issue, get on the internet, search for the telephone number of the agency, and call them back yourself with the number you personally find. If you don’t engage with the scammers at all, they can’t get you to fall for their scheme.

You should also avoid clicking unfamiliar links in emails, opening up text messages from unknown numbers, or responding to social media messages from people you don’t know. And, most importantly, do not take cash from your account, give out your details, or send gift cards to someone you don’t personally know.

If you follow these tips, you won’t end up in the unfortunate situation that Boivin and millions of others have. Remember, scammers would not try these tactics if they didn’t work, so you owe it to yourself to protect your financial security by being an informed consumer who just says no to the “government agent” who’s on the phone.