U.S. Attorney's Office Warns of Imposter Scam Targeting Missouri Residents

St. Louis, Mo. (KFMO) - The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri is issuing a warning to the public about a recent wave of imposter scams involving individuals falsely claiming to represent the federal office.

According to officials, scammers have used fake badge numbers and alarming stories, such as claiming a victim’s phone number was found in the contact list of someone rescued from human trafficking, to intimidate and defraud individuals. In some cases, they’ve requested money through mobile payment apps. To appear more convincing, these scammers often use real names of federal prosecutors, list actual office addresses, and spoof phone numbers so the calls appear to come from legitimate government agencies. Authorities emphasize that the U.S. Attorney’s Office will never request gift cards, credit card numbers, or any kind of payment over the phone.

Anyone who receives a suspicious call or believes they’ve been a victim of this scam is urged to report it to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.