Scam alert: fake calls threatening to cut off your phone number

How the scam works

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has described a scam that follows a carefully rehearsed script:

1. A caller says they are from the FTC and that your phone number is being used for crimes in other countries.
2. To sound official, they give a badge number and may text a photo of an "ID card".
3. They threaten to deactivate your phone number unless you cooperate.
4. They transfer you to a "police officer" to file a report. If you hesitate, they suggest you look up the police department online, but the number you find also leads to the scammers.
5. After collecting your personal details, they say you are under arrest and must travel abroad for the case, unless you pay a security deposit.

None of it is true. It is designed to frighten you so much that you stop thinking clearly.

Why it works

This is an example of government impersonation, one of the most damaging scam types. It combines authority (a government agency, a badge, the police), fear (arrest, losing your phone) and urgency (act now). Asking you to keep it secret stops you from talking to someone who would recognise the scam. Our article Spotting scam messages covers the same warning signs in texts and emails.

What genuine officials never do

According to the FTC, its real staff will never:

• Ask you to send money, or connect you to someone who does.
• Threaten to cut off your phone number.
• Ask you to keep the conversation secret.
• Text you a photo of an employee ID to prove who they are.

The same is true of genuine police and government departments in most countries. They do not demand payments by phone, gift card, crypto or bank transfer.

What to do

1. Hang up. You do not need to be polite to someone threatening you.
2. Do not call back numbers they give you or numbers from search adverts.
3. Check independently. Find the agency's number on its official website, typed in yourself.
4. Talk to someone you trust. Scams lose their power when you say them out loud.
5. Report it. In the US, report to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. Elsewhere, use your national fraud reporting service.
6. If you paid or shared details, call your bank straight away using the number on your card, and change any passwords you shared.

Tip: Agree a simple family rule: "Anyone who calls threatening arrest or demanding payment gets a hang-up, then a call to me." It protects older relatives especially.

Not only in the US

Versions of this scam appear worldwide, using the names of local police, tax offices, telecom regulators or courier companies. The details change; the pattern of fear, authority, secrecy and payment does not. Our earlier round-up Scam alerts for October 2026 covers similar official-impersonation schemes.