Analysis Summary

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recently issued a warning about scammers impersonating its employees in phone calls aiming to deceive victims into transferring money.

This trend is part of a broader scheme where fraudsters use government officials' titles and names to legitimize their scams. CISA emphasized that its staff will never request money transfers or ask for discussions to be kept secret. The agency advised individuals to record the scammer's phone number, hang up immediately, and verify the contact by calling CISA directly or reporting the scam to law enforcement.

CISA shared several tips to help potential targets avoid these scams emphasizing the importance of not complying with demands for money and validating any suspicious contacts through official channels.

Impersonation scams have seen a significant rise, with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reporting a marked increase in such incidents. In 2024, the median financial loss from these scams rose to $7,000, compared to $3,000 in 2019. The FTC reported over 490,000 scams in 2023, resulting in losses exceeding $1.1 billion, a threefold increase since 2020. These scams often involve imposters posing as FTC staff through phone calls, emails, or text messages to coerce money from victims.

The FTC data revealed that most impersonation scams are conducted via phone calls, although email and text message scams have been rising over the past three years. The agency noted an increasingly blurred line between business and government impersonation scams, with fraudsters often impersonating multiple organizations in a single scam. The FBI's 2023 Internet Crime Report also highlighted a 22% increase in reported losses from online crimes totaling a record $12.5 billion, reflecting the growing scale and impact of these fraudulent activities.

Impact

• Financial Loss
• Sensitive Data Theft
• Identity Theft

Remediation

• Do not comply with any requests for money, whether it's wire transfers, cash, cryptocurrency, or gift cards.
• Never keep the discussion secret if asked by the supposed government representative.
• Immediately hang up if you suspect you are on a scam call and write down the phone number of the scammer to report the scam attempt to law enforcement.
• Be cautious of phone calls, emails, or text messages from individuals claiming to be government or business representatives.
• Verify the identity of any contact claiming to represent a government agency or business.
• Be aware of the increasing prevalence of email and text message scams.
• Report any suspicious communication to the relevant authorities.
• Stay informed about current scams and security advisories from trusted sources like CISA and FTC.
• Educate yourself and others about the common tactics used in impersonation scams.