The newest scam warnings from the FTC and the FBI, in plain English, with what to do. Newest first. Updated October 16, 2026.
· FBI IC3
Fake campaign "investment pools", fake PACs that keep your donation, political merchandise that never ships, and texts saying you're not registered to vote with a link to a fake state site. Scammers also use AI to fake candidates' voices and images.
What to do: Donate only through a campaign's own website that you type in yourself. Check your voter registration on your state election office's official site.
· FTC
Scammers buy search ads and use lookalike web addresses to pose as Medicare.gov or HealthCare.gov, then sell plans that aren't real insurance or steal your medical identity.
What to do: Type Medicare.gov yourself or call 800-633-4227. For Marketplace plans use HealthCare.gov or 800-318-2596. Scroll past "Sponsored" results.
Read the official FTC alert · Our guide: Medicare card or benefits scam
· FBI IC3
Nearly 61,000 complaints from January 2025 to July 2026 about callers posing as police, federal agents and other officials who threaten arrest and demand payment.
What to do: Hang up. Police and government agencies never call or text to demand payment, and never want prepaid cards, crypto or a courier.
Read the official FBI IC3 alert · Our guide: Fake police / FBI / warrant call
· FTC
Scammers cover real parking QR codes with their own, which lead to fake payment sites that steal money or personal details.
What to do: Check the web address your camera previews before you tap it. When in doubt, pay with the official parking app or the meter itself.
· FTC
Postcards promise veterans or spouses extra monthly benefits from a program that doesn't exist, to get Social Security and bank numbers over the phone.
What to do: Don't call the number on the card. Call the VA Benefits Hotline at 1-800-827-1000. Report it at VSAFE.gov.
· FBI IC3
Fake FBI profiles, AI-generated videos and a spoofed IC3 website target people who already lost money to a scam.
What to do: IC3 never contacts people directly and never charges to recover money. Report only at www.ic3.gov, typed in yourself.
Read the official FBI IC3 alert · Our guide: Fund recovery / fake FBI recovery scam
· FBI IC3
After a fake investment "grows", scammers tell victims, usually seniors, that in-person cash pickups are needed to keep investing or to withdraw.
What to do: Never hand cash to a courier for any investment, bank, government or family emergency. Call family and your bank first.
Read the official FBI IC3 alert · Our guide: Crypto / investment scam
· FBI IC3
People who aren't terminally ill are signed up for hospice, sometimes without knowing. Some scammers go door to door offering free cleaning or meals.
What to do: Only give your Medicare number to your own doctors. Check your Medicare Summary Notices for providers you don't know.
Read the official FBI IC3 alert · Our guide: Medicare card or benefits scam
· FBI IC3
More than 13,400 complaints in 2025 involved crypto kiosks, up 23%, with losses up 58%. More than half came from people over 50. Oklahoma had 166 complaints and about $3.7 million lost.
What to do: No real business or agency will ever ask you to pay at a crypto ATM. Never scan a QR code someone sent you at a kiosk.
Read the official FBI IC3 alert · Our guide: Bitcoin / crypto ATM scam
· FTC
Five signs of a fake grant: surprise contact, money for personal bills, requests for your Social Security or bank number, and fees by cash, gift card, wire or crypto.
What to do: Agencies won't contact you about grants you didn't apply for. Find real help at usa.gov/benefit-finder.
Read the official FTC alert · Our guide: Government grant / "free money" scam
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