Scammers posing as IRS agents or other people are increasing their ruse across Florida, the FBI warns.
The scams are known as “impersonation scams,” when a crook poses as a person, brand or organization to commit a fraud. They may pretend they’re the IRS, the FBI, the local court, Amazon or someone else with an interest in your money.
FBI data shows that impersonation scams in Florida have increased 84% per capita over the past five years. The Tampa branch of the Internal Revenue Service — which covers Northeast Florida — has issued a new warning for people to be on the lookout for imposter scams now that tax season is over.
The IRS said Thursday that scammers posing as IRS officials have increased their phone calls to potential victims. Scammers are telling people they qualify for tax forgiveness or they owe taxes and face arrest if not paid.
In 2023, the latest data available, impersonation scams were the third most frequent fraud in the U.S., totaling more than $1.3 billion in losses, the FBI says. (Phishing and personal data breaches were the top reported fraud crimes.)
The FBI said those figures are on the conservative side because they represent only scams that were reported. The frequency and amount of loss is probably higher.
Kirk Spielmaker with the FBI Jacksonville said the number of impersonation scams locally has remained generally consistent, but he warned that scams evolve from year to year.
“There are sophisticated,…
