Phishing at a new level: scammers disguise themselves as IC3 and “help”… steal again

Fraudsters are masquerading as FBI IC3 employees, promising to return missing money to victims of online fraud, but in reality they are stealing their financial information again.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has reported more than a hundred cases of fraud in which criminals impersonated employees of the Internet Cybercrime Complaint Center (IC3). Most often, they contacted victims who had previously suffered from financial fraud. Using social networks, forums and even fake phone numbers, scammers convinced people that they could help them get their money back.

• One typical scenario is that a scammer creates a fake female profile on Facebook, joins thematic groups for fraud victims, and from there “advises” them to contact someone who is supposedly *IC3 Director Jamie Quinn* — a fictitious person who uses Telegram.
• After contacting, “Queen” assures that he has found the lost funds, but asks for the victim’s confidential information to “transfer” them. The result is access to bank accounts and repeated fraud.

IC3 is the FBI’s official platform for filing complaints about online crimes: from identity theft to cryptocurrency fraud. It does not communicate directly through messengers, social networks or third-party services. No real agent will demand payment for restoring access or returning funds. It is also important to know: IC3 does not refer victims to “companies” that demand money for help.

This scam is a classic example of revictimization, when a person becomes a victim twice: first from the scammers, then from the “rescuers”. Such a scheme works thanks to social trust, pain from loss and lack of awareness about the real channels of interaction with law enforcement. All contacts must be verified, and applications to IC3 must be made exclusively through the official website.