Is That A Call From The Goverment-Or A Scammer?

Is That A Call From The Government—Or A Scammer?

A government impersonation scam often starts with an unexpected text, social media message, email, or phone call from someone who says they’re with a government agency.

The scammers make up very believable stories to create a sense of urgency, and they pressure you into giving them money or access to your accounts. They design their schemes to get you to act quickly—before you can think about what to do or talk to someone you trust.

Impersonators also buy ads on search platforms like Google and Bing to trick you into connecting with them instead of the agency or company you’re looking for.

These government impersonation scams are a serious problem. In 2025, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency, got more than 375,000 reports about government impersonation scams from people who lost over $900 million collectively.

What government agencies are scammers impersonating?

The FTC says scammers impersonate federal, state, and local government organizations, including:

• The Social Security Administration (SSA): Scammers lie and say your Social Security benefits will end, or your Social Security number will be suspended, unless you pay immediately.
• The Federal Trade Commission: Scammers pretend to be an FTC “agent” who can “help you” recover money you lost in a scam or move your money to “protect it.”
• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS): Scammers ask for your personal information to get a “new” Medicare card, or for a medical equipment claim you don’t remember making.
• State Tolling Agencies: Scammers send you a phony text message that spoofs a real toll collection program (like EZ-Pass, SunPass, FasTrak, and TxTag) and tells you to click a link to pay “overdue toll charges.”
• Local Courts: Scammers call or send an email pretending to be from the police department or the local court system. They say you missed jury duty, there’s a warrant out for your arrest, and you must pay a fine immediately or go to jail.

Every one of these examples is a scam.

Strategies scammers use to manipulate you

These scammers go to great lengths to convince you they are with the government.

• They often spoof or fake caller ID to make it look like a real government agency is calling.
• They send you a doctored photo of an employee ID or badge—which are fake, no matter how real they might look—to “verify” their identity to gain your trust.
• They send official-looking letters in the mail.
• They place ads at the top of online search results on platforms like Google and Bing that look like official government websites but give you the scammer’s website and contact information.

How to recognize a government impersonation scam

To recognize and avoid government impersonation scams, keep these things in mind:

• Never ever will someone from the government say: “Your money isn’t safe. Move it to protect it.” Only a scammer will.
• Never ever will someone from the government threaten to suspend your government benefits if you don’t pay immediately. Only a scammer will.
• Never ever will someone from the government demand that you pay with a payment app, cryptocurrency, wire transfer, or gift cards.
• Never ever will someone from the government contact you by text message or a messaging app like WhatsApp and ask for money, personal information, or access to your accounts.

Report government impersonation scams

If you spot a government impersonation scam—or any other type of scam—report it to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Your report could help stop a scammer.

For more information on Social Security-related scams, visit www.ssa.gov/scam.