July 29,2020 (Washington D.C.) – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is warning the public to be cautious of telephone calls by scammers posing as DEA employees attempting to defraud and extort victims.
The schemers call the victims, spoofing DEA phone numbers in order to appear legitimate, and threaten arrest, prosecution, and imprisonment for supposed violations of federal drug laws or involvement in drug-trafficking activities unless victims pay a “fine” over the phone, via wire transfer, or through a gift card.
The reported scam tactics continually change but often share many of the same characteristics. Callers use fake names and badge numbers or names of well-known DEA officials and may:
Error message
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
November 29, 2012 (San Diego)--The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration warns the public about criminals posing as DEA special agents or other law enforcement personnel. This criminal activity continues despite significant public attention to the illicit scheme. DEA offices nationwide regularly get calls from citizens victimized by this extortion effort.
The criminals call the victims (who in most cases purchased drugs over the internet or by telephone) and identify themselves as DEA agents or law enforcement officials. The impersonators inform victims that purchasing drugs over the internet or by telephone is illegal, and that enforcement action will be taken against them unless they pay a fine.
Error message
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
November 29, 2012 (San Diego)--The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration warns the public about criminals posing as DEA special agents or other law enforcement personnel. This criminal activity continues despite significant public attention to the illicit scheme. DEA offices nationwide regularly get calls from citizens victimized by this extortion effort.
Recent comments