Page 6 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, AUGUST 1, 2025 FBI BOSTON | FROM Page 3 cipients should hang up immediately and report the call. The tactics used by scammers continually change, but often share many of the same characteristics, including the utilization of intimidation tactics. Typically, the scammers will use an urgent tone, advise the recipient of the call that charges have been, or will soon be, fi led against If We Happen To Meet By Accident ... You’ll Be Glad You Found Us! BEST! Celebrating 46 Years In Business! TONY’S AUTO BODY Call or Visit 781-321-0032 34 Sharon Street Malden, MA 02148 TONYSAUTOBODYLLC.COM COME VISIT OUR STATE OF THE ART BODY SHOP • Computerized Paint Matching (State of the Art Spray Booth) • Computerized Frame Machines • R134 + 1234yf A/C Machines Fully Insured -RS2415 Insurance Company Approval ALL OUR WORK IS GUARANTEED! TONY BARTOLO Owner 46 Years Let Us Handle Your Next Insurance Claim. Go With the BEST It Doesn’t Get BETTER! RENTAL CARS Available them, and threaten to confi scate the recipient’s property, freeze their bank accounts, or have them arrested unless payment is made immediately. If the recipient questions the caller, the caller becomes more aggressive. The recipients are advised that it will cost thousands of dollars in fees or court costs to resolve the matter, and the caller typically instructs people to wire “settlement” money or provide payment via prepaid cards, gift cards, wire transfers, and cash, sent by mail or inserted into cryptocurrency ATMs to avoid arrest. The scammer may also tell the victim to keep the matter secret from family and friends. “These fraudsters are capitalizing on fear and intimidation because nobody wants to be the subject of a law enforcement investigation,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. “We’ve seen an increase in these scams which is why we’re reminding the public to resist the urge to act immediately and verify who is actually contacting you.” According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), 17,367 people reported being victims of government impersonation scams in 2024, with losses totaling $405,624,084. Here in the Boston Division, which includes all of Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island, 778 complaints were fi led with fi nancial losses totaling $12,948,552. • 98 victims in Maine reported losing $1,643,432. • 507 victims in Massachusetts reported losing $9,511,181. • 106 victims in New Hampshire repor ted losing $1,646,059. • 67 victims in Rhode Island reported losing $147,880. The FBI will never: • Call or email private citizens to demand payment, threaten arrest, or request personal or sensitive information. • Request payment via prepaid cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency ATMs to avoid arrest. • Ask victims to liquidate assets into cash and/or purchase gold bars, silver, or other precious metals. • Ask you to use large sums of your own money to help catch a criminal. • Call you about “frozen” Social Security numbers or inheritances. Scams impersonating the FBI and other government agencies are a persistent problem and can also occur via email. Common hallmarks of a scam email include misspellings, missing words, and incorrect grammar. Fraudulent emails may give the appearance of legitimacy by using pictures of the FBI Director and/or the FBI seal and letterhead. Members of the public seeking to confi rm that they have been contacted by an actual FBI employee are encouraged to call the FBI Boston Division at 857-386-2000 and ask to be connected directly. To avoid becoming a victim of this scam, be wary of answering phone calls from numbers you do not recognize. Do not send money to anybody you do not personally know and trust. Never give out your personal information, including your Social Security number, over the phone or to individuals you do not know. If you think you are a victim of this scam and suff ered a fi - nancial loss, cease all contact with the scammers immediately, notify your fi nancial institutions and safeguard any financial accounts. Contact your local law enforcement agency and fi le a police report, and fi le a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at ic3.gov. Be sure to keep any fi nancial transaction information, including prepaid cards and banking records, along with all telephone, text, or email communications. All types of fraud schemes and scams (even if there is no fi nancial loss) should be reported to IC3. Filing a complaint allows analysts from the FBI to identify leads and patterns from the hundreds of complaints that are received daily. The IC3 then refers the complaints, along with their analyses, to the relevant law enforcement agency to aid in public awareness and crime prevention education eff orts.
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