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In this week’s scam, cybercriminals are impersonating U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents. The scammers call you and claim that CBP has intercepted drugs or money shipments that are addressed to you. They insist that you must confirm personal details to help them resolve the case. If you refuse to cooperate, the scammers threaten to send police to arrest you.
To seem more credible, the scammers may provide actual CBP employee names and numbers that they find online, as well as fake case and badge numbers. In some cases, there is a recorded message that says to press a number to speak to a "CBP officer" about an intercepted shipment. The real CBP stresses that these calls are complete scams and that the agency never requests money or personal information like Social Security numbers over the phone.
Follow these tips to avoid falling victim to a Border Patrol phone scam:
- The CBP will not call you to request money or financial information. If you receive a call asking you to share personal information, it’s best to hang up and contact the government agency directly at a verified number.
- This particular phone scam impersonates the CBP, but remember that scammers could call you and impersonate any government entity.
- Scammers rely on scaring you into making an impulsive decision. If you receive an unexpected phone call urging you to take action, be extra cautious. It could be a scam.
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