Scammers spoofing FBI, BCA phone numbers, officials warn

State and federal authorities are warning Minnesotans to be aware that scammers are impersonating law enforcement officers.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension says scammers have been using technology to make calls while posing as FBI and BCA agents and manipulating the caller ID to match the agencies’ official numbers.

While the BCA didn’t provide specifics, the agency did say scammers have successfully deceived victims.

The scammers typically say they’re conducting an investigation and have sensitive information, like Social Security numbers, banking information and addresses, the BCA says.

The BCA notes that real agents may contact residents, which is why it’s important for anyone who receives one of these calls to verify if it’s legitimate by asking for a callback number and then calling the agency back on their official information line:

• The FBI number is 763-569-8000.
• The BCA number is 651-793-7000.

“A legitimate BCA agent will encourage you to call the main phone number and confirm their identity. If the person who called doesn’t want you to do that, hang up the phone, it’s a scammer,” BCA Superintendent Drew Evans said.

More information about recognizing and reporting scams is available online.