The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued a new warning about a sophisticated impersonation scam targeting individuals seeking to report cybercrime. Cybercriminals are creating fraudulent websites that mimic the FBI’s official Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), aiming to steal sensitive personal and financial information from unsuspecting victims. This alert highlights the growing trend of domain spoofing and the importance of extreme vigilance when navigating online government resources.

How the Fake FBI Portal Scam Works

Threat actors are crafting convincing replicas of the legitimate IC3 portal (www.ic3.gov) by registering deceptive domain names. These spoofed sites often use slight variations in spelling or alternative top-level domains (TLDs) to appear authentic. For instance, domains like icc3[.]live or ic3a[.]com have been identified as malicious clones designed to trick users.

The primary goal of these fake portals is data theft. When a victim visits one of these sites and enters information to file a supposed “complaint,” they are actually handing over their Personally Identifiable Information (PII)—including their full name, home address, phone number, email, and even banking details—directly to scammers.

A Twisted Irony: Recovery Scams Within a Reporting Scam

In a twisted layer of deception, some of these fraudulent sites display the very same warning that appears on the real IC3 site, which cautions about scammers impersonating FBI personnel. This creates a false sense of security and legitimacy, making the ruse even more effective. This tactic is part of a larger trend where, after an initial financial scam, criminals pose as law enforcement or lawyers offering to help recover lost funds—for a fee.

How to Protect Yourself from FBI Impersonation Scams

To avoid falling victim to these sophisticated schemes, the FBI recommends the following protective measures:

• Navigate Directly: Always type www.ic3.gov directly into your browser’s address bar. Do not use a search engine to find the IC3 site, as scammers often pay for sponsored ads to push their fake sites to the top of search results.
• Never Share Sensitive Data: Be extremely cautious about sharing personal or financial information online. The real IC3 would never ask for banking details or payments within a complaint form.
• Understand Their Protocol: The FBI and IC3 will never proactively contact you via phone, email, or social media to offer fund recovery services. They will certainly never request payment in the form of cryptocurrency, gift cards, or wire transfers to facilitate the return of stolen money.

This warning follows international action, such as the April arrest of six suspects in Spain who targeted cryptocurrency scam victims by posing as Europol agents and U.K. lawyers. As these impersonation tactics evolve, verifying the authenticity of any website before entering information remains the most critical defense.