On September 29, FBI Newark issued a warning about a new verification trap inside a long-running federal law-enforcement impersonation scam. The alert says victims in New Jersey reported criminals posing as FBI, DEA and Secret Service agents. The impersonation itself is not new. The update is how the impostors try to survive a victim's attempt to check them.
According to FBI Newark, scammers have spoofed field-office phone numbers and introduced themselves using the names of real federal agents. When victims called those offices, staff could confirm that the named agent really worked there. That true fact could make the original contact seem legitimate even though it did not prove who actually made the call. In one case, the bureau says a fraudster used a virtual meeting platform with a background staged to resemble an FBI office.
Sources: FBI Newark · FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center
The new trick attacks the verification step
Independent verification is still the right move, but the September 29 alert shows why the question matters. Asking only whether a named agent works at an office can produce a true answer that a scammer then benefits from.
FBI Newark advises people to tell the person answering the official agency number that they believe they may be the target of a scam and want to confirm whether a real agent is actually contacting them. That checks the contact itself, not merely whether the name exists.
“Never send money to anyone claiming to be a federal law enforcement agent.”
Sources: FBI Newark
A convincing screen is still not identity
The FBI says one fraudster staged a virtual-meeting background to resemble an FBI office, including a desk, an FBI seal and a man in a suit. The September 29 alert does not say artificial intelligence created that particular scene, so the safest description is simpler: the setting was staged.
A polished video backdrop, a real employee name and a familiar-looking caller ID can reinforce one another. None proves identity. The FTC separately warns that caller ID can display a real government agency number even when the caller is somewhere else.
Sources: FBI Newark · Federal Trade Commission
How to verify without staying inside the scam
End the original contact.
Do not let the caller guide your verification or keep you on the line while you check.
Find the agency yourself.
Use the agency's official .gov website to locate a public phone number. Do not use contact information supplied by the caller.
Ask the full question.
Give the office the name the caller used, explain that you may be facing an impersonation scam, and confirm that the actual agent is trying to reach you.
Use an official fallback.
If you cannot reach the local office, FBI Newark says to contact the agency's main office. For the FBI, the bureau also lists 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Sources: FBI Newark · Federal Trade Commission
If money or information already changed hands
Stop communicating with the suspected impostor and contact your bank, card issuer or payment provider immediately if money moved or account information was exposed. The FBI's September 17 guidance says victims should notify financial institutions, local law enforcement and IC3, and retain financial records and communications.
FBI Newark also advises people who encounter a fraudulent virtual meeting to preserve visual evidence and submit it through tips.fbi.gov. Keep the displayed phone number, meeting invitation, messages, emails and payment instructions.
If you shared sensitive personal information, use the appropriate account-recovery steps and consider IdentityTheft.gov. The FTC advises reporting government impersonation scams through ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Sources: FBI Newark · FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center · Federal Trade Commission · Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
PhoneYa can add context, but it cannot authenticate the caller
A reverse-phone lookup can show whether other people have reported similar calls, but this scam shows why a number alone cannot settle identity. The displayed number may belong to a real federal field office and still have been spoofed.
If you report a suspicious call on PhoneYa, describe what the caller claimed and asked you to do. Do not treat the real agency or number owner as the scammer without evidence. The decisive check is a separate conversation with the agency through contact information you found yourself.
Sources: FBI Newark · Federal Trade Commission
Sources & further reading
- FBI NewarkFBI Newark Issues Warning About Insidious New Twist on an Old Fraud Scheme · September 29, 2026
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint CenterScammers Impersonating Law Enforcement and Government Officials in Fraud Schemes · September 17, 2026
- Federal Trade CommissionHow To Avoid a Government Impersonation Scam · November 2023
- Consumer Financial Protection BureauWho do I contact for help with a scam or fraud? · reviewed August 28, 2026
By PhoneYa Editorial, based on the sources above.