In this publication, we’re exposing a scam where crooks build convincing fake versions of the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) to trick people into handing over personal or financial information. If you ever planned to report a scam to the FBI, this one matters.
Scammers create spoofed IC3 websites that look authentic, then harvest names, addresses, emails, and banking details from people who think they’re submitting information to the real FBI. The result: more victims and deeper identity theft.
How It Works
- Threat actors register domains that are almost the same as the real IC3 site (small letter swaps, dashes, or similar-looking characters).
- A user searching “FBI IC3” may click a sponsored or fake search result and land on the spoofed site.
- The fake site asks for personally identifiable information and sometimes even suggests payment or a third-party recovery service — which the real IC3 never does.
- The criminals collect the data and use it for identity theft, financial fraud, or more targeted scams.
Who’s Targeted
- People already trying to report fraud — they’re worried and ready to act.
- Anyone who isn’t used to spotting subtle domain differences or paid search ads.
- Those who assume an official-looking site must be legitimate.
Real-Life Example
The FBI warned that “threat actors create spoofed websites often by slightly altering characteristics of legitimate website domains” to collect PII. In short: the spoofed IC3 page may look nearly identical, but the goal is to steal your data — not help you.
Why You Should Care
Handing personal details to a fake IC3 site can lead to identity theft, drained accounts, or giving scammers fresh data to target you further. Worse — you might think you’ve reported a crime when you’ve actually handed your information straight to criminals.
How to Protect Yourself
- Type www.ic3.gov directly into the browser address bar instead of using search results.
- Avoid “sponsored” search results when looking for IC3; those top ads are often paid imitators.
- Verify the URL ends in .gov and is exactly www.ic3.gov. Anything else is suspicious.
- Don’t click links with poor-quality graphics or odd layouts — that’s a red flag for a fake site.
- Never share sensitive information unless you’re certain a site is legitimate. Report incidents only at www.ic3.gov. Remember: IC3 will never ask for payment to recover funds and does not maintain social media accounts.
Quick Tips & Updates
- Quick Tip #1: Did you know? Bookmark www.ic3.gov now so you don’t risk clicking an imposter later.
- Quick Tip #2: Pro Tip — hover over links to see the real URL before clicking. If it’s not exactly www.ic3.gov, don’t proceed.
Stay safe, stay informed.
Keywords & Definitions
- Spoofed Website (Website Spoofing): A fake website designed to look like a legitimate site to trick users into entering personal information.
- Domain Spoofing / Typosquatting: Registering website addresses that closely mimic real domains (e.g., using hyphens or misspellings) to deceive visitors.
- Phishing: Fraudulent attempts (often via email or fake sites) to steal sensitive information like passwords, Social Security numbers, or bank details.
- Personally Identifiable Information (PII): Any data that can identify an individual — name, address, phone number, email, Social Security number, or financial info.
- IC3 (Internet Crime Complaint Center): The FBI’s official online portal for reporting internet-facilitated crimes; the legitimate site is www.ic3.gov.
- .gov Domain: A government-owned top-level domain; seeing .gov is a strong indicator a site is officially government-run (but you should still verify the full URL).
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