The US Department of Homeland Security has issued a warning about an elaborate scam in which victims are told they have accidentally funded terrorists, before being rescued by a scammer posing as a lawyer.
The inspector general of the DHS advised that scammers had been using publicly available law enforcement numbers, including the agency’s own field offices, to take money from unsuspecting people.
A scammer will then call the new “friend” from a spoofed law enforcement number posing as a cop or federal agent telling the victim “that the funds they provided the day before went to a criminal organization or terrorist group,” usually listing well-known examples such as the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) or Al-Qaeda.
“Legitimate law enforcement callers will never ask you to pay fines over the phone or request money from you,” the DHS advised.