The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued a new Public Service Announcement (Alert Number I-072026-PSA) regarding an evolving fraud campaign.
Cybercriminals are increasingly using AI-generated deepfakes and spoofed Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) websites to target and re-victimize individuals who have already fallen prey to scams.
Released on July 20, 2026, the alert highlights a significant increase in social engineering tactics, which combine identity impersonation, synthetic media, and phishing schemes to exploit individuals previously affected by scams.
FBI Warns Scammers Use AI Deepfakes to Target Fraud Victims
According to the FBI, these criminals are conducting “recovery scams,” where victims who have already lost money are approached under the pretense of fund recovery assistance.
Attackers impersonate FBI personnel or affiliates and claim they can help recover stolen assets, but their actual goal is to extract additional sensitive information or financial payments.
The initial contact methods can vary widely, including emails, phone calls, social media outreach, and malicious advertisements. In many reported cases, victims are contacted after expressing their intent to file a complaint with the FBI or IC3, making the timing of the attack particularly deceptive.
A prominent tactic involves impersonation on social media platforms like Facebook and Telegram, where scammers pose as FBI agents and direct victims to fraudulent links.
These links often lead to spoofed IC3 complaint portals designed to harvest personally identifiable information (PII) and financial data.
The FBI notes that these fake platforms imitate the structure and branding of the legitimate IC3 website, but typically feature simplified submission forms and limited functionality, often redirecting users back to the homepage after they interact.
Victims receive fake reference numbers, which reinforce the illusion of legitimacy. Another concerning tactic is the use of AI-generated deepfake videos to impersonate senior U.S. government officials. These videos are shared across social media platforms to promote fraudulent IC3 websites and build trust with potential victims.
In some cases, attackers also use synthetic video and voice technologies during real-time communications, posing as law enforcement or corporate executives to manipulate their targets.
The FBI emphasizes that advancements in generative AI have made such content increasingly difficult to distinguish from authentic communications, significantly lowering the barrier for large-scale fraud operations.
The agency reiterates that IC3 does not maintain any social media presence and will never contact individuals directly via messaging platforms, phone calls, or emails to request information or offer recovery services.
Users are strongly advised to access IC3 services only by manually entering the official URL (www.ic3.gov) into their browser and to avoid clicking on sponsored or suspicious links.
Indicators of compromise include slight variations in URLs, low-quality website design, and unusual requests for sensitive data or payments, particularly those involving cryptocurrency or gift cards.
To mitigate risk, the FBI urges individuals to critically assess unsolicited communications, especially those invoking urgency or emotional responses.
Signs of deepfake manipulation may include unnatural facial movements, audio inconsistencies, or visual distortions.
Victims of such scams are encouraged to report incidents directly through the official IC3 portal and to provide detailed information, including methods of communication, financial transactions, and any identifiers related to the attackers, to support ongoing investigations.
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