Security Training
A Caller With a Badge Number Wants Client Records
What Is Happening
Your desk phone rings. The caller gives a name, an agency and a badge number. A client is part of an investigation, they say, and they need that person's records today. They add that you must not mention the call to anyone.
The FBI said on September 17, 2026 that it received nearly 61,000 complaints about scammers posing as law enforcement or government officials between January 2025 and July 2026. It reports that these scammers copy real agency phone numbers, employee names and credentials, push hard, and tell people to keep quiet.
Caller ID, a badge number, a photo of an ID card and a face on video can all be faked. Urgency plus secrecy is the warning sign.
Sources
- FBI IC3 PSA I-091726-PSA, September 17, 2026Scammers Impersonating Law Enforcement and Government Officials in Fraud Schemes
- FTC Consumer Alert, October 22, 2026The FTC Is Not Calling to Deactivate Your Phone Number
- FTC Consumer Alert, November 12, 2026How to Spot Fake FTC Websites and FTC Impersonators
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