Scam alert
Someone Claiming to Be an FTC Agent Wants You to Move Money?
Published · Arrives by a phone call or text
The short answer
The FTC does not call or text people and tell them to move money into a different account to 'protect' it, ever, no matter who the caller says they are or what identification they show you. If you get a call or text like this, hang up or stop replying, and do not move any money. You can check anything a real FTC employee tells you by calling the FTC's own general information line yourself, using a number you look up independently rather than one given to you in the message.
What is happening
The Federal Trade Commission has repeated this warning multiple times through 2026, most recently in a September 9 post, after callers and texters kept posing as FTC employees, sometimes using a real employee's name or a photo of a badge or identification card, to tell people their money was at risk and needed to be moved to a 'safe' account. Consumer reporting has also described a related follow-up scam: after someone has already lost money to a scam, a second caller poses as the FTC, a law firm, or a consumer group offering to recover the loss for an upfront fee.
How to recognize it
- A caller or texter says they work for the FTC and that your money or accounts are at risk.
- You are shown or sent a photo of a badge, employee ID, or letterhead as proof.
- You are told to move money into a different, 'safe' account to protect it.
- You are contacted again after a previous loss by someone offering to recover it for a fee paid up front.
What to do instead
- Hang up or stop replying. The FTC does not call or text asking you to move your money.
- Do not move money into any account a caller or texter directs you to, no matter what identification they show.
- Call the FTC yourself, using a number you look up independently, if you want to check whether a contact was genuine.
- Be just as skeptical of anyone who contacts you afterward promising to recover money you already lost, for a fee.
If it already happened
Responding to one of these is common and understandable. These steps are what people usually take next.
- Contact your bank right away about any transfer you made and ask about recovery options.
- Do not pay anyone who contacts you afterward claiming they can recover the loss for an upfront fee—that is a separate, common follow-up scam.
- Save the messages, the caller's number, and any images you were sent.
- Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Common questions
- The caller showed me a photo of a real employee badge. Doesn't that prove who they are?
- No. A photo can be copied or created from almost anything, and the FTC says a real employee will not text you a photo of their identification to prove who they are. Verifying through a number you look up yourself is more reliable than any image sent to you.
- Why would the FTC ever tell someone to move their money?
- It would not. The FTC does not call or text people and direct them to transfer money into a different account for safekeeping, so any message asking for that is a scam regardless of how official it looks.
- I already lost money to a scam. Is it normal to be contacted about getting it back?
- Be cautious either way. A second contact from someone claiming to be the FTC, a law firm, or a consumer group that can recover your loss for an upfront fee is a documented follow-up scam that specifically targets people who have already lost money.
Practice this safely
Practice verifying a caller who claims to be from a government agency through a number you look up yourself, rather than anything they send you.
Every story is fictional. There is no timer, no score, and no real message, payment, or account.
Where this comes from
These links open the published sources in a new tab. The destination is shown before you open it.
- FTC: A real FTC employee won't text you their photo ID to verify their identity (June 2026)consumer.ftc.gov
- Read the Reporter: FTC issues warning over scam impersonating agency officials via phone and textreadthereporter.com
- SavingAdvice: 5 signs that FTC refund text or email is real, and 4 signs it's a scamsavingadvice.com
- Report fraud to the Federal Trade CommissionReportFraud.ftc.gov
The full guide on this
More recent alerts
This alert provides general educational information drawn from the sources above. It cannot determine whether a specific message you received is genuine, investigate an incident, or promise recovery or reimbursement.