Day: September 20, 2026

On September 17, 2026 the FBI issued a new public alert: scammers posing as federal agents, U.S. Marshals and court officials took more than $1.6 BILLION in 19 months, and now they are showing up on AI-generated video calls. Here is what the alert actually says, how the scheme runs step by step from real court records, why the money almost never comes back (including a tax bill most victims never see coming), and five moves, free to structural, that shut it down.

The FBI figure covers all ages. The over-60 case in this video comes from the FBI’s own 2025 annual report and an FTC data spotlight, both linked below.

CHAPTERS
0:00 A one dollar bill in Kaneohe
0:40 The FBI alert issued September 17
1:31 What the alert actually says
2:55 The versions: crime, jury duty, licenses, passports
3:41 The new paragraph: AI on video calls
4:04 How they get paid
4:21 Why this lands on Americans over 60
5:18 FTC: retirees emptying their 401(k)s
6:18 The machine, stage by stage
7:22 Stage 4: gold, crypto kiosks, wires
8:01 St. Louis: five sentenced
9:01 Why the money does not come back
10:01 The FBI freeze team: 642 cases
10:30 The second bill: taxes on stolen money
11:16 Can you deduct it? The IRS memo
12:20 Five moves. Move 1 — no agency collects by phone
13:24 Move 2 — close the side doors
13:56 Move 3 — speed bumps on your own money
14:29 Move 4 — the trusted contact
15:46 Move 5 — a second set of eyes
16:29 If it has already happened
17:06 The honest other side
17:35 She told someone
18:04 Disclaimer

IF IT HAS ALREADY HAPPENED
1. Call your bank’s fraud department and ask for a wire recall. Hours matter.
2. File at ic3.gov (this is what triggers the FBI’s freeze team).
3. File a local police report.
4. National Elder Fraud Hotline (U.S. Department of Justice): 833-FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311), Mon-Fri 10am-6pm ET.

SOURCES
FBI IC3 alert I-091726-PSA, Sept 17 2026: https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2026/PSA260917
FBI IC3 2025 Annual Report (age 60+ data pp. 44-46, freeze data p. 18, gold couriers p. 12): https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/2025_ic3report.pdf
FTC Data Spotlight, “False alarm, real scam” (Aug 2025): https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/Imposter-Data-Spotlight-August-2025.pdf
U.S. Attorney, District of Hawaii, July 22 2026 (gold bar courier arrest; charged, presumed innocent): https://www.justice.gov/usao-hi/pr/indian-national-arrested-hawaii-role-gold-bar-elder-fraud-scheme
U.S. Attorney, Eastern District of Missouri, March 12 2026 (five sentenced): https://www.justice.gov/usao-edmo/pr/five-sentenced-helping-overseas-scammers-defraud-elderly-victims
FBI “Phantom Hacker” alert (2023): https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2023/PSA230929
FBI gold courier alert (2024): https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2024/PSA240129
IRS Office of Chief Counsel memorandum 202511015 (theft losses for scam victims): https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-wd/202511015.pdf
Regulation E, 12 CFR 1005.3(c)(3) (wire transfer exclusion): https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-12/chapter-X/part-1005/subpart-A/section-1005.3
FINRA Rule 2165 (temporary holds): https://www.finra.org/rules-guidance/rulebooks/finra-rules/2165
FINRA Rule 4512 (trusted contact person): https://www.finra.org/rules-guidance/rulebooks/finra-rules/4512
IRS, “How to know it’s the IRS”: https://www.irs.gov/help/how-to-know-its-the-irs
National Elder Fraud Hotline: https://ovc.ojp.gov/program/stop-elder-fraud/providing-help-restoring-hope

PHOTO CREDITS
FBI Headquarters photo by ajay_suresh, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons). FTC and IRS buildings: Carol M. Highsmith, Library of Congress (public domain). Eagleton Courthouse: U.S. District Court, E.D. Missouri (public domain). Gold vault: National Archives 296609 (public domain). Illustrative images are re-creations, not photographs of the people or events described.

DISCLAIMER
This video is for general education only. It is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Rules on account holds, tax treatment of scam losses, and bank liability vary by state and institution and are changing. IRS Chief Counsel memoranda are not precedent. Confirm details with your own institutions and a licensed professional in your state. This channel is not affiliated with the FBI, the FTC, the IRS, or any government agency.

#FBIwarning #scamalert #retirement