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Scam alert

Caller Says ICE Will Detain Your Relative Unless You Pay? It's a Scam

Posted

Alabama, Virginia and Washington, DC · waff.com · Arrives by a phone call or text message

The short answer

A call or message saying ICE will detain or deport you or a relative unless you pay, often by a deadline and through Zelle or Cash App, is the sign to stop. Real ICE agents and police do not call to demand money to stop an arrest or close an investigation. A second caller who says they are local police and backs up the demand is part of the same scam. Hang up and don't pay. Call your relative directly on a number you already have.

What is happening

On October 31, 2026, WAFF 48 News reported that a Morgan County, Alabama, family got a message saying a relative had a warrant and would be detained by ICE unless they paid $3,000; the caller gave them 48 hours, asked about paying through Zelle or Cash App, and passed them to another person who repeated the demand, and local police confirmed it was a scam. The District of Columbia Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking describes the same scheme: a fake ICE agent threatens arrest and deportation, a fake local police officer backs up the threat, and the person is told to pay $3,999 or another amount. In March 2026, WJLA reported that a Loudoun County, Virginia, woman paid a fee after a caller said ICE was holding her husband and would release him only if she paid.

How to recognize it

  • A call or message says you or a relative has a warrant or will be detained by ICE unless you pay.
  • The caller sets a short deadline, such as 48 hours, and asks for payment through Zelle, Cash App or another payment app.
  • A second person joins or takes over the call, sometimes saying they are local police, and repeats the demand.
  • The caller ID looks like a real ICE or police number, and the caller asks for your date of birth, Social Security number or card number.

What to do instead

  1. Hang up and don't pay. Real agents don't demand money to stop an arrest or an investigation.
  2. Call your relative directly on a number you already have.
  3. Don't give the caller your date of birth, Social Security number or card details.
  4. If you are worried about a real immigration matter, talk to an immigration attorney you choose.
  5. Report the call to your local police.
  6. If you want to tell someone, the rule is: hang up on any call that says pay now or ICE takes your family.

If it already happened

Responding to one of these is common and understandable. These steps are what people usually take next.

  1. Being fooled by a call built on fear for your family is not a failing.
  2. If you sent money through a payment app or your bank, contact your bank or the app right away and say the payment was fraud.
  3. The DC Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking says you can report someone posing as an ICE agent to the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General at 1-800-323-8603.
  4. Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
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Common questions

Does ICE call families to collect money?
No. The DC Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking says ICE agents and local police do not call people to warn them they are about to be arrested and deported, and do not demand money to dismiss an investigation or vacate an arrest warrant.
The caller ID showed an official number. Doesn't that make it real?
No. The DC Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking says these callers often make caller ID show what looks like an official ICE number. A familiar-looking number does not prove who is calling.

Practice this safely

Practice hanging up on a caller who demands money to keep a relative from being detained, then calling the relative yourself.

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Caller Says ICE Will Detain Your Relative Unless You Pay? It's a Scam

A call or message saying ICE will detain or deport you or a relative unless you pay, often by a deadline and through Zelle or Cash App, is the sign to stop. Real ICE agents and police do not call to demand money to stop an arrest or close an investigation. A second caller who says they are local police and backs up the demand is part of the same scam. Hang up and don't pay. Call your relative directly on a number you already have.

Read the full alert: https://endscamsproject.com/latest-scams/ice-agent-impersonation-payment-scam

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