FTC Warns of Fake Agent Calls That Threaten to Shut Off Your Phone

A local news outlet in Indiana called WBIW reported on November 2, 2026, on a scam warning that the Federal Trade Commission first posted on October 22, 2026. The alert describes a phone scam in which callers pretend to work for the FTC itself.

The scheme works like this. A caller claims that a phone was registered in your name and number and is being used to commit crimes in another country. To sound official, the caller may read off a fake badge number or text you a photo of an ID. The caller then threatens to shut off your phone service unless you cooperate.

Next, the scammer often transfers the call to someone posing as a police officer. That person asks for your personal details and then says you must pay a security deposit or wire money to avoid arrest. They may ask for payment by wire transfer, gift cards, or cryptocurrency, and they tell you to keep the call a secret.

The FTC listed clear warning signs in its alert. A real FTC employee will never ask you to send money, and will never connect you to someone who tells you to send money. A real employee 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 an employee ID to prove who they are.

Older adults are a frequent target of these calls because criminals believe they may have savings set aside and may be home to answer the phone. The FTC says scams in which someone pretends to be from a government agency are a common and costly problem.

The advice is simple. If you get a call like this, hang up. Do not press buttons or stay on the line. Look up the real agency on an official .gov website and call back using a number you find yourself. You can report the call at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.