Fake Government Agency Calls and Texts: What Real Agencies Say
A call or text that claims to come from a government agency, arrives unexpectedly and demands money or personal information may be a scam. USAGov says that, unless you contact them first, government agencies typically start communication by letter, and that scammers can make caller ID look like an official number. The official pages advise hanging up, not clicking links and checking the story through a phone number, website or email address you already know is real.
What do the official pages say?
The agencies describe how they usually make contact and what they will never do. The short passages below are quoted from their own pages.
- USAGov: "Unless you contact them first, government agencies typically initiate communication with you by letter. Unexpected contact or demands through any other method may be a scam."
- Social Security Administration: "Social Security will never ask for sensitive or personal information through social media, email, or text message."
- Federal Trade Commission: "The FTC will never threaten you, say you must transfer your money to 'protect it,' or tell you to withdraw cash or buy gold and give it to someone."
The Internal Revenue Service warns that people who pretend to work for it rely on demands and threats: "They threaten arrest or deportation." A mention of arrest or deportation in an unexpected call is one of the warning signs the official pages name, not proof that the caller is real.
Warning signs named on the official pages
| Sign | What the official page says | Page |
|---|---|---|
| Pressure to act right away | "Scammers pressure you to act immediately." | Social Security Administration |
| A specific way to pay | Scammers ask you to pay with gift cards, precious metals (gold or silver), prepaid debit cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency, or by mailing cash. | Social Security Administration |
| A familiar number on caller ID | Scammers "may even use caller ID to make it look like they are calling from an official government or business number." | USAGov |
| A real name or a badge number | "Scammers give you an employee ID or badge number or use the name of a real government employee." | Federal Trade Commission |
| Threats | Impersonators "threaten arrest or deportation." | Internal Revenue Service |
A real employee name, a badge number or a familiar number on the caller ID does not show that a call is genuine, because these pages say scammers use all three. A request to pay with gift cards, gold or cryptocurrency is a sign named on the Social Security page, whatever the caller says about who they are.
The picture on this page is illustrative only: someone in brown leather boots and dark trousers stands in a shallow forest stream between mossy rocks.
What to do when the call or text arrives
- Pause. The Social Security page says: "Take a deep breath and talk to someone you trust."
- Hang up or ignore it. The same page says: "Hang up or ignore the message. Do not click on links or attachments."
- Check through a contact you already know. The Federal Trade Commission says to "Contact the organization in question using a phone number, website, or email address you know is real."
- Report it. The Federal Trade Commission says to report an imposter scam "to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov". For a scam that involves Social Security, the Social Security page says: "Report the scam to the Office of the Inspector General at oig.ssa.gov/report". USAGov adds: "Report tax related imposter scams to the Internal Revenue Service."
Help with reporting is available in other languages. The Social Security page says the Federal Trade Commission provides assistance to report scams in multiple languages: "Call the FTC at (877) 382-4357 and press 3 to speak to an interpreter."
What is not covered and what depends on your situation
The cited pages come from USAGov, the Social Security Administration, the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Trade Commission, and none of them describes how the immigration agency itself contacts people. USAGov's point about letters applies unless you contacted the agency first, and it says agencies typically start that way, not that they always do, so these pages describe warning signs rather than decide whether a particular call is genuine. If money was already taken, the Social Security page says: "Stop talking to the scammer. Block their phone number or email address." It also says to call your local police department to report the crime. If a scammer has your personal information, the same page points to identitytheft.gov to report identity theft and get a recovery plan. Other guides on this site cover fake websites and protecting a Social Security number.
Where to look next
The Federal Trade Commission page on imposter scams, cited below, describes more types of government, business and family imposter scams and points to its advice on what to do if you were scammed.
About this page
This page is general information drawn from the official pages cited below, and it does not assess anyone's individual case. A question about your own situation belongs with an independent attorney.
- USAGov: Imposter scams
- SSA: Social Security related scams
- IRS: Recognize tax scams and fraud
- FTC: How to avoid imposter scams
VisaNow.AI is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. This page is general information taken from official government pages; it does not assess anyone's case. An attorney-client relationship arises only with an independent attorney. Check the official pages for current details.
Information current as of 2026-10-26