The “Police” Said Not to Tell Your Family. Tell Your Family.

The caller knows your name. The number on the screen looks local. He says he is a deputy, there is a warrant for your arrest, and the situation must be handled immediately.

Then he gives one more instruction: do not tell your spouse, your children, your bank, or anyone else. Discussing the case could interfere with the investigation.

That demand for secrecy is not proof that the matter is serious. It is one of the clearest signs that the call may be a scam.

In a September 17 warning, the FBI said its Internet Crime Complaint Center received nearly 61,000 complaints about law-enforcement or government impersonation scams between January 2025 and July 2026. Reported losses exceeded $1.6 billion.

The stories vary. A caller may claim you missed jury duty, failed to appear in court, allowed your identity to be connected to a crime, or need to protect money from criminals. The solution is always urgent: pay a fine, move your money, share personal information, or remain on the phone while following instructions.

Why intelligent people believe the call

The scam does not depend on someone being careless. It creates a situation most people have never rehearsed.

An arrest threat activates fear. A badge number, case number, or real officer's name creates authority. Caller ID can be manipulated to display a legitimate agency. The caller may know an address, profession, or family detail found through public records or stolen data.

The FBI also warns that scammers are using artificial intelligence in impersonation schemes, including video calls designed to make a fake official appear more convincing. A uniform, government-looking room, or familiar face on a screen is no longer reliable proof by itself.

The secrecy instruction serves an important purpose for the criminal: it separates the target from the person most likely to interrupt the story.

The warning signs

Pause when an unexpected caller claiming to represent the police, a court, or a government agency:

• Threatens arrest, prosecution, deportation, or loss of a license unless you act immediately.
• Says you must not hang up or speak with anyone else.
• Demands payment by gift card, cryptocurrency, wire transfer, payment app, prepaid card, cash, or courier.
• Tells you to move money to a “safe” account.
• Requests a Social Security number, banking credentials, verification code, or other sensitive information.
• Sends official-looking documents and tells you to use only the phone number or link provided.
• Appears on video in uniform or shows credentials but refuses independent verification.

The FBI says law-enforcement and government authorities do not call or text people to demand payment or sensitive information. The Federal Trade Commission also says real law-enforcement officers do not call and insist that someone pay a fine to avoid arrest.

The 60-second defense

Give your family this rule:

No one handles a threat from an unexpected caller alone. We hang up, tell someone we trust, and verify it independently.

Do not debate the caller. Do not press a number, click a link, or use contact information the caller supplied. End the conversation.

Look up the agency through its official website or another trusted public source. For a local police or sheriff's office, call the published non-emergency number. Explain what was said and ask whether the officer, warrant, or case is real.

Verification should happen after the caller loses control of the conversation. A legitimate agency will not require you to remain isolated on the phone while money is moved.

If money or information was already sent

Stop communicating with the caller. Contact the bank, card issuer, wire service, payment app, or cryptocurrency company immediately. Tell it the transaction was connected to fraud and ask whether the payment can be stopped, reversed, or traced.

Change exposed passwords and contact any institution whose account information was shared. Save voicemails, texts, emails, receipts, payment details, phone numbers, and screenshots. Those records may help when filing reports.

Report the incident to local law enforcement and the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.gov. Government impersonation scams can also be reported to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Act quickly, but leave blame out of the conversation. The criminal deliberately created fear and isolation. Support makes it easier to take the next useful step.

Talk about it tonight

Ask your family: “If someone claiming to be a police officer told you not to call me, what would you do?”

Practice the answer: hang up, tell the family, and call the agency through a number you found independently.

If you receive an official-sounding call, text, email, or document and are unsure what it means, describe it in The Scam Hotline Scam Detector. Do not include Social Security numbers, account numbers, passwords, or other sensitive information. The free tool can help identify pressure tactics and organize the next verification step.

Scammers want silence. Families talk. Talk to yours today.

Sources

• FBI IC3: Scammers impersonating law enforcement and government officials
• FTC: Scammers are impersonating local law enforcement
• FTC: How to avoid a government impersonation scam