09/01/2026
***** Scam Alert *****
Today, a citizen came into the Klamath County Sheriff’s Office after receiving a suspicious text message from someone claiming to represent the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
The scammer sent images of what appeared to be an official FTC badge and credentials and claimed they were trying to help the citizen “secure” their financial accounts. The scammer asked about banking information and then instructed the citizen to go to Fred Meyer and move their money into cryptocurrency.
Fortunately, the citizen became suspicious and came to the Sheriff’s Office for help before any money was transferred.
PLEASE REMEMBER:
Scammers can send convincing photographs of badges, credentials, identification cards, warrants, and other official-looking documents. A picture of a badge or credential does not prove someone is a government official.
Be extremely suspicious if someone claiming to be from a government agency, law enforcement agency, or financial institution:
• Asks for your banking or financial information.
• Tells you your money is in danger and needs to be “secured.”
• Directs you to withdraw or transfer money.
• Tells you to purchase cryptocurrency or use a cryptocurrency ATM.
• Requests payment through gift cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfers, or similar methods.
• Pressures you to act immediately or tells you not to speak with anyone else.
Government agencies will not instruct you to move your money into cryptocurrency to keep it safe.
If something doesn’t feel right, STOP. Don’t send money and don’t provide personal or banking information. Independently contact the agency, your financial institution, or local law enforcement using a verified phone number.
In this case, the citizen did exactly the right thing, they became suspicious, stopped communicating with the scammer, and sought help before losing any money.
No legitimate federal law enforcement agency, FBI, FTC, DEA, U.S. Marshals, Secret Service, IRS Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, etc., will send you a photo of a badge or credentials to prove they’re real. This is one of the most common and well-documented impersonation scams.
What the agencies themselves say:
• The FBI explicitly warns that scammers “may even send photos of what appears to be legitimate law enforcement credentials” and that the “FBI does not call or email private citizens to demand payment or threaten arrest.” Real agents don’t send badge photos as proof of identity.
• The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) states it “will never send you an unsolicited email or text, or call you on the phone” asking for money, Social Security numbers, or account information, and warns that agency names and logos are easily faked.
• The U.S. Marshals Service warns that impersonators “may … send you an image of a fake badge or ID” and that this is a hallmark of the scam, not proof of legitimacy.
• The Social Security OIG has specifically flagged fake badge photos and credential images sent via email or text as a scam indicator.
How real federal contact actually works
• Legitimate agents identify themselves in person and let you inspect the physical credentials and badge, and you can (and should) ask them to wait while you call the agency’s field office directly using a number from the official .gov website to verify.
• Federal agencies generally initiate contact by official mail on agency letterhead, not by text, WhatsApp, Telegram, email attachments, or social media DMs.
• No federal agency will ever demand payment in gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency, or cash sent through the mail, and none will threaten immediate arrest over the phone.
What to do if someone sent you a badge photo claiming to be a federal agent:
1. Do not send money, share personal information, or click any links.
2. Report it to the FBI’s IC3 and to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
3. If they claimed to be from a specific agency, call that agency’s field office directly using the number from its official .gov website to confirm. Do not use any number the person gave you.
Please share this information, especially with family members, friends, and others who may be particularly vulnerable to these types of scams.
