FBI Warns Houston Residents of Federal Agent Impersonation Phone Scam

The FBI Houston Field Office issued a warning to area residents Thursday, releasing photographs of two suspected scammers who have been contacting people by phone and posing as federal agents to extort money through gift cards, wire transfers, and cryptocurrency.

The scheme typically begins not with an FBI impersonator but with someone claiming to represent the victim's bank. That caller warns of suspicious account activity, then "transfers" the victim to a fake local FBI office where the pressure escalates. According to FBI spokesperson Rothaar, victims are frequently pushed onto video conferencing platforms such as Zoom or Teams, a tactic designed to add a visual layer of authenticity to the deception.

The two suspect photographs originated with the FBI Chicago Field Office, which issued what officials described as a rare public warning on February 20, roughly six weeks before the Houston office amplified the alert. Chicago Special Agent in Charge Douglas S. DePodesta said at the time: "Criminals who commit these crimes leave lasting harm that reaches far beyond financial losses. By posing as law enforcement, they erode the very trust" citizens place in government institutions. The Chicago office moved after receiving repeated public tips identifying specific impersonators.

The Houston office reminded residents that federal agents do not call to demand immediate payment, nor do they instruct anyone to settle a law-enforcement matter with gift cards. The FBI Atlanta Field Office reinforced that point with a direct statement: "No one in the U.S. attorney's office will contact a citizen with demands for bank account information and money."

If a call seems suspicious, hang up, verify through an independently confirmed agency number, contact the bank immediately if any funds have moved, and file a complaint at ic3.gov.

Speed matters more than most victims realize. The FBI's Financial Fraud Kill Chain unit worked 3,020 complaints in 2024, covering $848.4 million in attempted fraud, and froze stolen funds in 66% of those cases. That success rate drops sharply once money has cleared multiple accounts.

The FBI's IC3 2024 Annual Report tallied 859,532 complaints nationally with losses exceeding $16.6 billion, a 33% increase from 2023. Government impersonation and tech support fraud hit older Americans hardest: victims over 60 lost $385 million to those combined categories last year, and 7,500 complainants in that age group each reported individual losses exceeding $100,000. Nationally, Americans 60 and older filed 147,127 complaints representing $4.885 billion in total losses, a 43% rise year over year. Texas ranks among the leading states in both complaint volume and financial losses in IC3 data.

The FBI noted that the suspects linked to this scheme are not necessarily operating from within the United States, pointing to the international scope of these networks. Anyone who recognizes the individuals in the released photos or has received calls matching this pattern should contact the FBI Houston tip line or file a complaint directly at ic3.gov.