Impersonation Scams
Protect yourself from scammers pretending to be people you know, your boss, or trusted organizations.
What is Impersonation?
Impersonation scams involve criminals posing as someone you trust — your boss, a family member, a friend, or a representative of a legitimate organization. They exploit the authority and trust associated with that identity to manipulate you into sending money or revealing information.
Business Email Compromise (BEC) is one of the most costly forms, where scammers impersonate executives to authorize fraudulent wire transfers. The "friend in trouble" variant involves hacked social media accounts sending urgent money requests. Government impersonation scams threaten arrest or legal action.
These scams succeed because they bypass our normal skepticism by leveraging existing relationships and authority. When your "CEO" urgently requests a wire transfer, the natural instinct is to comply quickly rather than question it.
How to Identify This Scam
- 1Urgent request for money or gift cards from someone you know, but via unusual channels
- 2Your "boss" emailing from a slightly different email address
- 3A friend messaging on social media asking for money due to an emergency
- 4Requests to keep the transaction secret or bypass normal procedures
- 5Communication style or language doesn't match the person being impersonated
- 6Pressure to act immediately without verifying
Real Examples (Anonymized)
You receive an email from what appears to be your CEO asking you to urgently purchase $2,000 in Apple gift cards for client gifts and send the codes.
A Facebook message from your friend says they're stranded abroad and need $500 wired immediately. Their account seems active and normal.
What to Do If You Receive One
- Always verify unusual requests through a separate, known communication channel
- Call the person directly using a phone number you already have
- Never send gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency based on email/message requests alone
- Report compromised accounts to the platform immediately
- Implement verification procedures at your workplace for financial requests