"This is Agent Reyes with the Federal Trade Commission, badge number 4471. A phone line registered to your name and this number is being used to run scams overseas. If you don't cooperate today, we deactivate the number."
Here's a hypothetical, and everyone in it is made up. Dana (made up) runs Sudsy Van Grooming (a made-up mobile dog-grooming business) out of one van and one cell phone. Every booking, every reschedule, every "running 10 minutes late" text goes through that number. So does the confirmation for the MCA debit that comes out every weekday.
Thursday, 11:15 am. She's between a doodle and a husky when the call comes in. The man is polite and quick. He reads off his badge number twice. He knows her name and the business address on her filing.
Lose the number, lose the business. She does the math in about four seconds.
He says he'll transfer her to a police officer so she can file a report and clear her name. Dana hesitates. She's read about fake callers.
So he does something she doesn't expect. He says she shouldn't trust him. Hang up, he says, and call the police department yourself. He even spells out exactly what to type into a search bar to find the number.
That's the turn. She searches the words he gave her, finds a number, and calls it. A "detective" picks up and already knows her case. It feels like proof. It's the same crew.
The detective asks for a photo of her driver's license "for the report" and orders her not to discuss the case with anyone, including her bank. He calls back two days later. The scams on her number are serious, he says, and there's a warrant. The way to keep the line on and stay out of custody is a refundable security deposit of $6,800.
Dana's sister, who does the books, sees a pending $6,800 transfer and asks who it's for. That question breaks the spell.
On Thursday, October 22, 2026, the FTC warned about this exact script. Callers posing as FTC officials say a phone registered under your name is being used for scams in another country, threaten to deactivate your number, transfer you to fake police, and sometimes coach you to look up the police number yourself. When you call, people working the scam answer. Then comes the demand for ID, the order to keep quiet, the arrest threat, and the "security deposit." The FTC's answer: none of it is real (FTC).
Red flags
- A caller says he's with the FTC and threatens to shut off your number. The FTC says real staff never do that.
- He reads you a badge number or texts a photo of his ID. The FTC says real staff never text an ID photo.
- You get handed to "police," or told what to search to find their number.
- You're told to keep it secret, even from your bank. The FTC says that's always a scam.
- Any ask for a "deposit," gift cards, crypto, a wire, or a payment app (FTC).
What to do
Hang up. Don't call back the number on your screen. Caller ID can be faked.
Check the agency yourself. Go straight to the agency's own website by typing the address you already know, not one the caller gave you, and use the number listed there. Never use search words a caller dictated.
Worried about your line? Call your phone carrier at the number on your bill. The FTC says its staff will never threaten to disconnect your phone.
Don't send ID photos, your Social Security number, bank details, or any "deposit."
Already paid or shared ID? Call your bank or card issuer now and ask them to stop or reverse the payment. If you sent a license photo or other ID, follow the steps at the FTC's identity theft site.
Report it to the FTC at its fraud report site and to your state attorney general.
Then tell whoever answers your business phone. The script works on anyone who picks up.
Dana's number is still on the side of the van.
