FBI alert: couriers are a tool for new frauds

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has raised the alarm about escalating frauds in which bad actors, posing as technical support workers or government officials, collect money and valuable goods via couriers. The latter present themselves in person to unsuspecting subjects, often elderly, to collect precious metals such as gold or silver, which the victims are induced to get rid of.

Metamorphosis of scammers and deception mechanisms

Adopting various identities, including false employees of technology companies, financial institutions or the US government, scammers prey on victims by claiming their financial accounts are compromised or in imminent danger. This induces victims to liquidate their assets, cleverly directed towards the purchase of precious metals or the transfer of funds to metal dealers, to then be picked up by couriers.

Preventive strategies against fraud

To combat such fraudulent schemes, the FBI recommends avoiding sending precious metals to legitimate businesses or US government agencies. We also discourage disclosing home addresses or meeting strangers to transfer money or valuables, as requested through telephone communications. Other defensive measures include refraining from clicking on unsolicited pop-ups, from interacting with suspicious links or attachments via text message or email, and from allowing unidentified individuals access to your computer.

I invite you to report cases of fraud

Victims of these fraudulent schemes are invited to report incidents to the FBI, providing as many details as possible on the perpetrators, such as names, methods of communication and bank details used. The discovery of these scam attempts follows previous FBI warnings of an increase in fraud targeting older adults, resulting in losses estimated at more than $542 million in the first six months of 2023 alone.