The U.S. public is being targeted by phone scammers posing as Customs and Border Protection officers. Scammers pretend investigations aiming to intimidate and steal sensitive information. How can one prove the CBP number is legitimate?
Phone Scammers Target U.S. Residents
Individuals are warned of a new, fraudulent phone scam involving callers pretending to be officials from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). These impostors use threats of legal action or offer false rewards to coerce victims into divulging personal information. Typically, the narratives include supposed illegal activities connected to the victim, such as parcels or funds linked to their identity.
CBP emphasized that genuine communication will not involve soliciting money or threats. Victims receiving suspicious calls should not provide personal details and verify the authenticity by contacting CBP through official means—not numbers provided by the caller. This scheme highlights the importance of vigilance among the public, especially against convincing impersonations.
Scam callers are impersonating CBP employees and requesting payment or personal information from residents. Note that CBP does NOT solicit payment by phone. If you receive one of these calls, hang up and report the call to the @FTC.
More about the scam: https://t.co/EW8nb0r477 pic.twitter.com/juUgRWqRmz
— CBP (@CBP) September 15, 2024
Recognizing and Reporting Scams
To appear legitimate, scammers often use names, numbers, and fake case or badge numbers reflecting official-sounding credentials. A recurring strategy includes a pre-recorded message about intercepted shipments of drugs or money, prompting individuals to engage further by pressing a number to speak with a “CBP officer.”
“We are seeing a spike of phone calls from concerned citizens about scammers posing as CBP employees seeking information about suspected illegal activity,” remarked CBP Houston Acting Director of Field Operations Rod Hudson. “To be clear, CBP will not make telephone calls threatening citizens that law enforcement is on the way or promising money for information.”
Such calls are unequivocally scams, and CBP advises residents not to provide any information. The agency does not solicit money via phone or ask for payments via gift cards, cryptocurrency, or wire transfers. Caller ID cannot be trusted since scammers can spoof numbers to appear legitimate, complicating the matter further.
CBP warns against phone scam by fake Border Patrol agents https://t.co/Sgp6SEVgqq
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 5, 2025
Steps to Ensure Safety
Scammers posing as CBP officers or agents promise money or threaten law enforcement action to manipulate victims. Residents should not provide information during these phishing attempts and are encouraged to verify the authenticity of calls or emails by researching CBP’s official resources.
“If CBP suspects illegal activity, we will not call a suspect or a victim requesting money or social security numbers,” reiterated Director Rod Hudson in a statement addressing the scam.
Individuals are encouraged to report any fraudulent calls to the Federal Trade Commission to support ongoing investigations and avoid becoming unintentional victims of these devious schemes.