The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is warning the public of a widespread fraud scheme where scammers impersonate DEA agents to extort money or steal personally identifiable information.
DEA personnel will never contact members of the public to demand payment or sensitive information. No legitimate federal law enforcement officer will request cash or gift cards from a member of the public. You should only give money, gift cards, or personally identifiable information, including bank account information, to someone you know and trust. The DEA will only notify people of a legitimate investigation or legal action in person or by official letter.
Anyone receiving a call from someone claiming to be with DEA should report the incident to the FBI at www.ic3.gov. The Federal Trade Commission provides recovery steps, shares information with more than 3,000 law enforcement agencies, and takes reports at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
Any victims who disclosed personally identifiable information, like a social security number, can report the identity theft at www.identitytheft.gov and get a recovery plan.
Reference
DEA. 19 March, 2021. Scam Alert. Retrieved from https://www.dea.gov/scam-alert on 5 May, 2023
Additional Resources
Phishing | Office of Information Security | Washington University in St. Louis
Phishing 101 | Office of Information Security | Washington University in St. Louis
Vishing | Office of Information Security | Washington University in St. Louis (wustl.edu)