Ask an Expert: Inside the FBI IC3 Impersonation Scam
Fraudsters are escalating their impersonation of U.S. law enforcement agencies, particularly the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) to run sophisticated financial recovery scams.
Overview
Fraudsters are escalating their impersonation of U.S. law enforcement agencies, particularly the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), to run sophisticated financial recovery scams — and the issue is gaining national attention. Graphika’s work uncovering these tactics was recently featured in Forbes, which highlighted how threat actors are spoofing the FBI’s IC3 brand across Facebook using AI-generated personas, fake pages, misleading ads, and fraudulent recovery schemes designed to steal personal data.
In this Ask an Expert session, Graphika Scams & Fraud Analyst Gustavo Paniz and Account Executive Chris Block break down how these re-targeting scams have evolved over the past year, the role of AI-generated personas and deceptive media, and the key intelligence signals that reveal malicious intent.
Watch the on-demand recording to learn how these schemes operate, what digital indicators matter most, and how teams can detect and mitigate these rapidly changing threats.
What You’ll Learn
- Mapping the New Impersonation Tactics: How fraudulent accounts are impersonating the FBI’s IC3 across social platforms to build credibility and reach victims.
- Decoding AI-Driven Deception & Media Manipulation: Real examples of AI-generated personas, manipulated media, and fraudulent websites used to lure victims into “recovery scams.”
- Identifying Malicious Amplification: How threat actors amplify their schemes through targeted ads, hashtags, and coordinated network behavior.
- Actionable Detection & Mitigation: Practical steps and intelligence indicators teams can use to detect and disrupt these evolving scam tactics.
Who Should Watch
- Trust & Safety teams working to detect impersonation attempts, protect users from deceptive content, and stay ahead of fast-moving scam tactics.
- Fraud Prevention professionals monitoring recovery scams and looking for intelligence that helps stop repeat victimization.
- Cybersecurity & Threat Intelligence teams investigating coordinated threat activity, malicious networks, and early indicators of compromise tied to impersonation schemes.
- Risk & Compliance teams assessing exposure to regulatory, operational, and reputational risks created by fraudulent online activity.
- Law Enforcement & Public Sector agencies tracking evolving online fraud tactics targeting victims and impersonating government institutions.
- Consumer Protection teams responding to scams affecting the public and seeking practical detection cues to safeguard communities.
Originally Aired
Wednesday, December 3, 2025, this webinar is now available on-demand for you to explore at your convenience.
Gustavo Paniz leads investigations on adversarial online conversations that target brands and companies and could threaten their financial standing or reputational integrity. He also uncovers digital fraud and deception, including how threat actors misuse platforms, personas, and AI-generated content to target consumers and institutions.
Access the full recording
The full recording includes complete analyst commentary, in-depth research findings, and the full Q&A session with our experts.
- Expert analyst commentary and insights
- In-depth research findings and analysis
- Full Q&A session with Graphika analysts
Related Reports
Ask an Expert: How AI Tools Are Accelerating Pro-China Messages Online
In this Ask an Expert webinar, Graphika’s experts explore the Falsos Amigos report and how AI is transforming online influence. We’ll examine a coordinated network of 11 domains and 16 social media accounts that used AI to translate, summarize, and disguise CGTN content in multiple languages, targeting audiences worldwide, including youth in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
Watch ReplayAsk an Expert: Countering AI Threats with Smarter Detection
AI-generated content is reshaping the threat landscape across industries. In this on-demand webinar, Graphika's intelligence experts break down how these threats are evolving and how organizations can build more resilient defenses.
Watch ReplayAsk an Expert: How Scammers Impersonate Brands Across Platforms
Watch this on-demand webinar to learn how scammers industrialize brand impersonation using coordinated networks, AI tactics, and multi-platform campaigns.
Watch ReplaySee How Graphika Can Help Your Team Act on This Intelligence
Our platform gives your analysts continuous access to the same intelligence — plus the tools to apply it to your specific threat environment.