Impersonation and Prize Scams

Government Impersonation

Callers and messages pretend to be tax, benefits, immigration, court, or law-enforcement officials.

Understand the pattern

How this scam operates

A caller or message claims to represent a tax authority, court, benefits office, immigration service, or law-enforcement agency. Threats of arrest, account suspension, deportation, or lost benefits create pressure to respond immediately. Payment is often demanded through a method that a genuine agency would not use.

Details can vary, but the goal is usually to create enough trust, fear, or urgency that you act before verifying the story. Caller ID, profile names, logos, and polished websites can all be copied.

A useful ruleEnd the original contact. Then find the organization or person independently and ask whether the claim is genuine.

What the scammer wants

Money through gift cards, transfers, cryptocurrency, or card payments, as well as personal information.

Common tactics

Impersonation, false authority, urgency, threats, and instructions not to verify through another channel.

Recognize the pressure

Warning signs to look for

High risk

Manufactured urgency

You are pressured to act before you can stop, verify, or ask someone you trust.

High risk

Unusual payment method

Payment is demanded through gift cards, cryptocurrency, cash, or another difficult-to-reverse method.

High risk

Discourages independent verification

The person insists you remain on the line, keep the matter secret, or avoid official channels.

Take back control

What to do next

Take protective action even if you are not yet certain this is a scam.

  1. verification

    Verify the agency

    End the contact and call the agency using a number from its official website.

  2. Immediate response

    Preserve evidence and secure access

    Save messages, receipts, account names, URLs, and transaction details. If credentials were exposed, change them from a trusted device and review active sessions.

How to protect yourself

Pause unexpected requests involving money, codes, documents, or account access. Leave the original conversation and verify the claim using an official app, a known website, or a number from a statement or card. Do not rely on caller ID, profile names, or links supplied by the sender.

If you were affected

Stop contact and further payments. Contact the bank, payment service, marketplace, or platform through its official channel. Secure exposed accounts from a trusted device, preserve messages and transaction records, and report through the appropriate official service. Watch for follow-up recovery scams.

Open the recovery checklist

Related practical guides

Identification

How to Check a Suspicious Message

A calm verification process for unexpected texts, emails, direct messages, and alerts.

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Verified destinations

Official help and reporting

Choose the service for your location. External links open the organization’s official website.

United States

ReportFraud.ftc.gov

Federal Trade Commission

Official United States service for reporting fraud, scams, and bad business practices.

Visit official site
United Kingdom

Action Fraud

City of London Police

The United Kingdom’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime.

Phone: 0300 123 2040

Visit official site
Canada

Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre

Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Ontario Provincial Police, and Competition Bureau Canada

Canada’s central service for information about fraud and for reporting fraud and cybercrime.

Phone: 1-888-495-8501

Visit official site
Australia

Scamwatch

National Anti-Scam Centre

Australian government information and reporting guidance about scams.

Visit official site

Bank and Payment Scams

Messages and calls impersonate banks or payment services to steal credentials, verification codes, or money.

Read related guide