Someone Claiming to Be the FBI Called My Dad and Told Him Not to Tell Anyone. What Do I Do?

TL;DR

• The FBI warned on September 17, 2026 that nearly 61,000 people reported law enforcement impersonation scams from January 2025 through July 2026, with losses over $1.6 billion.
• A fake FBI agent who tells your parent to keep the call secret is following the script. The secrecy is the scam’s main tool, not a detail.
• Real agents do not call to demand money, and the FBI says scammers now use AI-generated video calls to look official.
• If your parent is on the phone right now, get them to hang up, then call them back on a number you look up together.
• If money moved, call the bank’s fraud line first, then report at ic3.gov, and seniors can call the DOJ Elder Justice Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11.

Your dad called you, or your mom did, and something is off. A man said he was with the FBI. There’s a case number. There’s a problem with their Social Security number or their bank account or a package with their name on it. And he said not to tell anyone, not even family, because “the investigation could be compromised.”

That last line is the giveaway, and it’s also the reason you’re reading this instead of your parent calling you sooner. Here’s what’s happening and how to handle the next ten minutes.

Why “don’t tell anyone” is the scam, not a detail

The FBI’s September 17 alert says these callers use “urgent and aggressive tones” and pressure victims to keep payments secret. Secrecy isn’t a side effect. It’s how the scam survives. A parent who calls you is a parent who gets talked out of it in about ninety seconds.

So if your mom says “I’m not supposed to say,” take that as the clearest sign you’ve got. No real federal agent has ever needed a citizen to hide a conversation from their own kids.

The scale is big. The FBI counted nearly 61,000 complaints between January 2025 and July 2026, with losses over $1.6 billion. Fake jury duty and missed court date calls made up 6,833 of those complaints. The rest are threats over expired licenses, professional licenses, and (for immigrant communities) extradition, which alone cost victims $140 million.

What the call usually sounds like now

Older versions were a robocall. These are people, often working in shifts, and they’re good.

The caller gives a name and a badge number. Caller ID may show a real FBI field office, because the FTC explains scammers can spoof any number. Then a second person “takes over the case,” which makes it feel like a real agency with real departments.

The FBI also says these groups increasingly use AI-generated video calls. Your parent may see a “badge” held up to a camera or a uniformed face on FaceTime. A video call proves nothing anymore.

Then comes the ask. Move your savings to a “protected” account. Withdraw cash for an agent to pick up. Buy gold. Buy gift cards and read the numbers over the phone. Every version has one thing in common: the money leaves in a form that’s hard to trace and hard to get back. The FTC puts it plainly: government agencies will never call, email, text, or message you to ask for money or personal information.

If your parent is on the phone with them right now

Don’t argue with the caller. Don’t try to be clever.

Get to your parent, by phone or in person, and say something calm like: “Mom, hang up with me on the line. I’m going to call you right back.” Then look up the real number together. If the caller says he’s FBI, the local field office number is on fbi.gov. If it’s the bank, use the number on the back of the card.

Skip “you’re being scammed.” Nobody likes hearing it while they’re scared and emotionally committed. Try “these calls have gotten really good, and I want to check it out with you.” It’s true, and it keeps them on your side instead of defending the caller.

If money already moved

Move fast, in this order.

Call the bank’s fraud department first, not the branch. Ask them to recall or freeze any wire, and if cash was withdrawn or crypto was sent, tell them exactly that. Wires and transfers have the best odds in the first hours. Gift cards are worth a call to the card issuer right away too, and we covered that step by step in what to do when your mom gave a scammer gift card numbers.

Next, file at ic3.gov with the phone numbers, account details, and any texts or screenshots you can save. Then report to ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If your parent shared a Social Security number or other ID details, the follow-up steps are in what to do after giving a scammer your Social Security number.

Adults 60 and older can also call the DOJ Elder Justice Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11.

One more thing, and it matters. Expect a second call. The FBI’s July alert notes that these groups go back to previous victims, so a “recovery” call offering to get the money back is likely. Tell your parent in advance so it doesn’t land.

How to make the next call less likely to work

You can’t stop a determined scammer from dialing your parent. You can make it harder for the call to ring through.

On their iPhone, open Settings, tap Apps, tap Phone, tap Screen Unknown Callers, and choose Ask Reason for Calling. Older iOS versions use Settings, then Phone, then Silence Unknown Callers. We covered the trade-offs in should I turn on Silence Unknown Callers, and the full checklist is in how to set up a parent’s iPhone.

Then agree on a rule before anything happens. Any call that mentions money, arrest, or secrecy gets a call to you first. Frame it as a household rule that applies to you too, not a test of their judgment. Apps like Not Today can also filter the follow-up texts by keyword (“warrant,” “case number,” “verify”) and pull from a community database of reported numbers, which helps because these groups rotate numbers constantly.

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Not Today is a free spam-blocking app for iPhone. We built it to catch spam before it reaches you, using keyword rules, a community database of reported numbers, and optional AI detection. No account required. Download on the App Store.