Business

The ‘FTC’ Caller Who Threatens to Shut Off Your Phone Number Is a Scammer. How the Scheme Works

By Erica Coleman · October 24, 2026

The call opens with alarming news. The person on the line says they are an official with the Federal Trade Commission, that a phone registered under your name and number is being used to commit scams in another country, and that your number will be deactivated if you do not cooperate.

None of it is true. In a consumer alert posted Oct. 22, the FTC called this the latest twist on scammers who impersonate the agency. The caller even reads off a badge ID to sound official, and the badge is fake.

Here is how the FTC says the scheme plays out.

The threat to your phone. Your number, the caller says, is tied to fraud overseas and will be shut off unless you go along. The FTC notes that the scare is the point.

The handoff to the police. To make the story sound real, the fake official transfers you to a fake police officer to file a report. If you hesitate, they may tell you to call the police department back yourself and what to search online to find the number. It feels like checking their story, but people involved in the scam answer.

The request for your ID. The fake officer asks for your ID and other personal information for your “report” and tells you to keep everything secret.

The arrest and the deposit. Later, the scammers claim you are under arrest for the crimes linked to your phone number and that you have to go to another country, unless you send money for a security deposit.

People 60 and older have reason to take this seriously. In its latest annual report on protecting older consumers, the FTC says government impersonation scams remain one of the top fraud types by total reported losses among older adults, and that older adults’ reported fraud losses rose from about $600 million in 2020 to about $3 billion in 2025. The report says people who get calls from FTC impersonators are often directed to mail cash, hand cash to couriers, buy gift cards, or deposit money into Bitcoin ATMs, and that scammers keep people on the phone for long stretches and coach them on what to tell bank employees.

The FTC laid out four things a real employee will never do. A real FTC employee will never ask you to send money or connect you with someone who tells you to send money. They will never threaten to disconnect your phone. They will never tell you to keep your conversations secret. And they will never text you a photo of their employee ID to prove who they are.

If a call like this comes in, hang up. The FTC’s guide to government impersonation scams warns that caller ID can be faked to show an agency’s real name or number, and says that if you think a call might be real, you should contact the agency directly at a number you know is correct. Never pay anyone who says they are with the government by wire transfer, gift card, cryptocurrency or a payment app, because that money is hard to trace and hard to get back.

Report these calls at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to your state attorney general. If you already gave a caller your personal information, the FTC points people to IdentityTheft.gov for steps to protect your identity. The FTC report also notes that these scammers often tell people not to speak to friends or family, which is one more reason to run any call like this past someone you trust.

This article is for general information and is not financial or legal advice. If you think you have been targeted, contact your bank directly using a number you know is real. This article was produced with the assistance of AI and fact-checked against the sources cited by LightWave Reports.