Recognizing Imposter Scams

Did you get a message from FinCEN? It could be a scammer!

Scammers often pretend to be contacting you on behalf of the U.S. government. They may contact you through phone calls, text messages, emails, U.S. Mail, or social media. They may say they work for FinCEN, including using the names of current or former FinCEN employees, or send you something claiming it is from FinCEN. Scammers will pressure you into sending money or personal information. They may demand payment for alleged anti-money laundering violations and outstanding debts.

FinCEN urges caution when receiving any unsolicited messages from individuals or entities claiming to be from FinCEN. FinCEN is providing these tips below:

FinCEN Does Not:

  • Contact members of the general public to request payment by phone, text, email, or mail.
  • Send unsolicited email, mail, or text, or contact the public by phone.
  • Send members of the public direct invitations to connect on social media platforms.
  • Demand immediate payment or ask you to move your money to a safe location by email, call, or text. If someone does that and claims to be doing so on behalf of FinCEN, it is a scam.
  • Freeze assets. FinCEN will not contact you about frozen assets or blocked transfers.
  • Ask you to pay money to access your funds or prove you are not involved in criminal activity.
  • Ask for (and you should never submit) payments via phone, mail, or websites in response to such outreach. Be cautious of any message, by email or over the phone, regarding penalties.
  • Offer grants nor collect debts.

 

If you receive a message from someone claiming to be from FinCEN, you can verify the message is real by contacting FinCEN directly by submitting an inquiry at www.fincen.gov/contact.

To learn more about fraud schemes related to FinCEN, visit FinCEN’s December 2024 Alert on Fraud Schemes Abusing FinCEN’s Name, Insignia, and Authorities for Financial Gain.

Report anyone impersonating FinCEN or its employees to Treasury’s Office of Inspector General and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). It is important to file reports as quickly as possible.

To learn more about how to recognize and report scams, visit the FTC’s scam page.