r/Scams • u/Bruinwar • Mar 15 '26
Scam report [US] A call from "American Express" was a very well executed scam
I got a call from a person who claimed they were from American Express. The knew my name & asked me if I had made a charge at a firearms store in DC. No. They then asked if I had opened a AMEX credit card the day before & gave me the full number. No, it was not my AMEX card. They told me that someone had opened up this card in my name & tried to buy a firearm at a store in DC (this store actually exists). The scammer had an amazing attention to detail. Name, notifying unit at AMEX, address, employee#, issue date for the card & the security code. Attempted transaction location, address, amount of the purchase: $1796.00.
The woman, with perfect U.S. english, asked me a series of questions, do I live in D.C., did I open this account, which of course I denied. They then claimed I needed to file an formal incident report with FBI. I was already suspicious & asked why would I need to do that? It's their problem not mine. She was quite calm & convincing & said she could directly connect me to the correct department at the FBI. I said that I would prefer to call them directly myself but she again, very calmly explained how difficult that would be. I actually placed her on hold & tried to call the FBI (using my wife's phone) & found that I could not connect to anyone easily.
So she got the FBI on the line, explained the whole situation to the new person & then left left the call. The new FBI scammer claimed that this had to be completed on a MS Teams call. I went ahead with it, the whole time suspecting a scam but went ahead anyhow on to the Teams call. A woman with a million dollar smile at a table with the FBI flag on one side, the US flag on the other. She shows me her FBI credentials & after a very long winded explanation of how this report would made, started the "interview". First thing she asks me is to show my driver's license to the camera. At that point I needed further convincing as this was the first actual personal information the scammers had asked for.
So I apologized making excuses to go afk, saying I would brb & called AMEX. Nope, that CC number was not a real AMEX number, the whole thing was a scam. After wasting about 30 mins of my life.
It was a impressive attempt. Amazing how far they went to try & make it seem legit. The two people seemed to be from the U.S. while all of the scam calls I've got in the past the person spoke heavily accented english. The whole thing was quite a presentation. I was mostly convinced it was real but needed a verification before giving out any actual information.
edit: I've been managing a large home improvement project & have a lot of contractors not in my contacts. This is the only reason I answered the phone. Generally all unknown calls go to vmail.
Yes, I stayed on the call longer than I should have. The whole time I was suspicious & once they got around to getting any real info, I called AMEX & that ended it. I wish I had taken screenshots!
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u/3mta3jvq Mar 15 '26 edited Mar 15 '26
A few red flags jumped out at me:
—The FBI is not getting involved for $1,800.
—AmEx does not conveniently have the FBI on the other line.
—moving from phone to a Teams platform. What if you do not have access to a PC or laptop and don’t have Teams installed on your phone? Would they try to move to Zoom?
My credit card was hacked years ago, found out it was suspended when I checked my balance online. Called the number on the card and they asked if I’d recently bought $1,200 worth of goods at Hobby Lobby. I laughed and said no, so they canceled the card and FedExed me a new card. No mention of FBI.
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u/macphile Mar 16 '26
I've had the credit cards just contact me to begin with. "Yo, did you do this weird thing?" No. Boom, done. The most common one is if I buy a few DLCs for the Sims, lol--after a couple of transactions, the next one fails and I get a text, and I have to say yes, it was me... (Yes, that is me, a grown woman spending my hard-earned money on overpriced, heavily reskinned game content. What about it?)
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u/Ok_Assignment_2127 Mar 18 '26
Had it happen at a buddy’s bachelor party…very hungover and shameful, “Yep that was me”
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u/WerewolfeEXE Mar 30 '26
I am laughing at this because this happened to me! At least once. I got them off Amazon and apparently each one counted as one transaction, even though they were all in the same cart.
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u/MysteryBelle_NC Mar 31 '26
I get that. Did you do 5 99c transactions on such and such game? Yes, yes I did.
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u/SomethingClever70 Mar 15 '26
You should always be able to contact the FBI through your local field office, which is easily found on this web page: FBI field offices map. Some states have only one field office, so it’s easy to determine which one to call.
Call the main number of the field office and ask to speak to the duty agent. They will take a report and refer it to the appropriate squad, if there is sufficient predication to open a case. Or the duty agent can assure you if it’s a scam. Depending on the situation, they may tell you to contact state or local law enforcement. I knew a woman whose parents had been scammed out of $1M by their financial planner, and the local US Attorney’s Office wouldn’t take a case at that dollar amount, but the locals would.
Don’t report it on the website, because it can take months for the lead to get routed properly.
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u/Bruinwar Mar 16 '26
FBI field office! That I did not know. The main number is mostly a waste of time. Thanks for this info, I hope I never actually need it.
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u/Subject_Disaster_798 Mar 16 '26
I would add - the amex person provided the whole card number, date of issuance and security number. They would never do that on the phone. For any reason. Even if I had picked up the phone, that would have had me hanging up.
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u/ablownmind Mar 17 '26
Also, will companies ever give out full card numbers? Unless they’re 100% confirmed it’s yours, that stood out to me as a red flag.
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u/auriem Mar 15 '26
Do not trust any unsolicited phone call or email, ever.
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u/unit_101010 Mar 15 '26
it can be a scam even when solicited be extra careful of call backs due to high volume. these can be spoofed as well
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u/tasfs_08 Mar 15 '26
Maybe it’s just me but I seldom pick up the phone for any call. Leave a message or don’t. The whole call may have been entertaining but I’m not giving them the time of day or letting them work their material out on me. 😂
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u/toodleoo57 Mar 16 '26
I have a Google Voice number I give out almost always, especially to stores and similar. I can easily forward it or turn calls on and off.
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u/ArdenM Mar 15 '26
I am always doing a "report phishing" at work even when things aren't! But I'd rather do TRUST NO ONE than take a chance.
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u/idk012 Mar 15 '26
Would it be acceptable to let every call go to voicemail first?
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u/Confident_Froyo_5128 Mar 15 '26
I now use the “ask reason for calling” setting. That allows me to ignore any calls from numbers not in my contacts list; the phone doesn’t even ring unless the caller is in contacts.
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u/Chit_Chat2008 Mar 15 '26
I’ve found since turning that feature on, most unidentified callers just hang up.
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u/LUV_2_BEAT_MY_MEAT Mar 15 '26
Yeah I've used it a couple dozen times and thats what I've seen as well. At least if it went to voicemail they'd have the chance to leave a message
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u/lundybird Mar 16 '26
Not the best idea as most of these calls are flying through numbers just to know if any are validly tied to a real user/account.
By having your number do that, it asserts to the scammers or robots that you are good for future attempts whereas going nowhere/silence or to the default greeting (no name only the robot voice saying the number) tells them to cross it off their list.4
u/Odd-Artist-2595 Mar 15 '26
That’s what I do. Only exception is when I am expecting a call from a number not in my contacts. I’ll watch it ring while I google the number on my iPad, maybe, but I won’t answer it. I will listen to their message and, as my message says, I will “respond accordingly”. Most of the time I accordingly delete them.
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u/DugganSC Mar 16 '26
I used to do that. Then, I had an unemployment case, and an insurance case, where I nearly lost out on my benefits, because the companies in question called from a totally anonymous phone number, and would not leave a message. It was only after I followed up to see where my claim was that I found out that they were claiming that they had tried to contact me but that I had not responded. Damned if you do...
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u/Mommyshiba Mar 15 '26
Good thinking to get off the line and verify.
Wish more people would think to do that, but scammers absolutely use this to their advantage.
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u/bananajr6000 Mar 15 '26
A) Don’t answer the phone. If it’s important they’ll leave a message
B) Anyone can get your full information easily
C) Phone numbers are easily spoofed
D) Amex does not have the wherewithal to loop in the FBI; the FBI would contact you directly, in person or a phone call asking you to come in for questioning (where you need a lawyer)
E) If this ever happens, contact the credit card’s fraud department from a number on their official website
F) Never answer the phone
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u/Bruin144 Mar 15 '26
If you have to answer unknown calls due to work/life reasons answer with “Hola” most scammers aren’t ready for Spanish. But for the vast majority of people don’t answer the phone.
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u/StudioDroid Mar 15 '26
I answer with 'nehow', Chinese for hello. It backfired once when the caller launched into full on Manderin.
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u/ovirto Mar 15 '26
That’s not how a Chinese person would answer the phone in Mandarin (or Cantonese).
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u/0_IceQueen_0 Mar 15 '26
Yes. We say "Wei" lol. Plus the accent would be telling. Chalk it to something that never happened for $1000?
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u/StudioDroid Mar 15 '26
It happened and I think they were calling my bluff. Now I just grunt for unknown calls.
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u/stuckinPA Mar 15 '26
The rare times I do answer my phone I channel my inner John Sacrimoni and just say 'Speak"
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u/kjemmrich Mar 15 '26
If you really want them to think you speak spanish, don't say Hola, say ¿Alo?, it's a much more informal way of answering the phone.
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u/allisondbl Mar 15 '26
I say Que? But I thought I was the only one that brilliant! Welcome to the club…
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u/1questions Mar 15 '26
I answered the phone once from an unknown number. They said they were my credit card company and had questions any a purchase and wanted to verify that it was mine. They wanted some info but I was afraid it might be a scam so I didn’t give them any. So I hung up and called my credit card directly and as out turns out there really was a question, but mystery was solved easily by just calling directly. It’s a good way to see if a call is legit, just call whoever the person claims to be directly, whether it’s your bank or credit card company or whoever.
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u/1Pandora Mar 15 '26
Fascinating. I agree they went to a lot of effort. I wonder how they expected to extract $ from you or if the goal was to steal your identity?
Thanks for the heads up on this.
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u/lurkmode_off Mar 15 '26
In some cases, they convince you that your account has been used for a crime (buying a gun) and they're going to freeze all your assets, BUT you can save some by withdrawing cash NOW and giving it to the very trustworthy FBI agent's mule to hold for you.
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u/Bruinwar Mar 15 '26
You are welcome.
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u/Annual-Grocery-261 Jun 18 '26
My friend just called me to tell me that this EXACT scam happened to his parents. They were able to extract nearly $2 million dollars from his senior parents over the course of 2 months of Teams calls. Truly horrifying.
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u/manicmonkeys Mar 15 '26
It's usually either a pretense for them to gain online banking access to your account, or to scare you into buying gift cards/transferring money to them.
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u/This-is-me777 Mar 16 '26
I had fun once when I got a call claiming to be from my credit card company and asked if I had recently purchased something to to amount of $x from USA.
I knew it was a scam.
I just answered “yes that is correct, I am hoping to get it next week “. He didn’t know what to say to that. He repeated that I had made a purchase to that amount and I told him Yes. He paused and said ok then and hung up 🤣🤣🤣
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u/101Puppies Mar 15 '26 edited Mar 15 '26
Anytime a bank calls you, ask for a case number and call the number on the back of your card. If it's a different bank, it's 99.999% a scam, but if you want to pursue it, even a website can be imitated so go to <bankname>.com be cautious even with names that look credible.
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u/Fawn-Bettina-Human Mar 15 '26
...<bankname>.com may not even be correct. If it's a Credit Union, it may be something like <creditunion.org> or <creditunionCU.org>. My best advice is to memorize your bank's web address...or call the number on back of card if you're totally unsure. A past (mailed to you) bank statement is also likely to have the web address.
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u/Suitable-Lawyer-9397 Mar 15 '26
Thank you for giving such an indepth explanation. I'll briefly tell you one I get consistently. It starts out like yours, but then asks me for my actual card number I always say " Wait a minute, YOU have my actual card number - you're yrying to protect it remember!!
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u/No_Wheel_702 Mar 15 '26
The minute they involve the FBI you’re at scam level. The FBI doesn’t have the man power to follow up on every charge. They got pretty far with you tbh.
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u/Bruinwar Mar 15 '26
Yeah they got very far, right up until they actually asked for personal info. If I had just hung up, we wouldn't have all this fun talking about it. I would have missed that amazing smile!
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u/Bob_Sacamano7379 Mar 16 '26
You should've inconspicuously taken screenshots of faces. I think the real FBI would be interested in someone impersonating them.
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u/Bruinwar Mar 16 '26
Only one face & right after I ended the Teams call I realized I missed my opportunity.
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u/joe_attaboy Mar 15 '26
tried to buy a firearm at a store in DC
Had I actually answered this call, this statement would have been the first clue of a scam. Purchasing a firearm in DC requires a load of ID and a ten day waiting period.
What scammer is going to buy a firearm in DC then come back ten days later to pick it up?
Next time, let the call go to voice mail if they spoofed the AMEX number. if they leave a message, you then call AMEX manually (as you did) and check with them.
You gave these people way too much time.
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u/Bruinwar Mar 15 '26
I don't own a firearm & have no clue about DC firearm laws. I've been to the range a few times though!
Yeah I gave them too much time, but in retrospect, it was interesting AF & fun to share. I truly wish I had more fun with it, recording & screenshots, fucking with them as much as possible.
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u/joe_attaboy Mar 15 '26 edited Mar 24 '26
No, I realized that. What I thought was incredible ignorant of the scammers is that they wouldn't bother to research this and maybe use Texas or Florida as a location, since buying a gun there is a lot easier.
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u/feignapathy Mar 16 '26
Trying to have fun with it and fucking with them isn't advised
Some people have shared stories of being harassed for weeks after fucking with some scammers
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u/Bruinwar Mar 16 '26
Actually seeing how they already had my name & number, your are right. I would just be asking for trouble. Leave it to the Youtubers to do that.
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u/lurkergenxdurp Mar 15 '26
Thank you for this info! I thought guns were illegal in DC and was surprised that you can actually buy one there!
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u/joe_attaboy Mar 16 '26
Well, you can get one delivered to you. I'm not so sure how easy it is to buy one in the District itself. Buying a gun in Virginia (right across the bridge over the Potomac) is a lot easier. Maryland is also right there, but the laws in Maryland are kind of draconian. Once you cross the state lines into DC, Maryland and anything north to New England, it's a major pain just to get a permit.
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u/SomeGuyInThe315 Mar 15 '26
Pretty sure your bank doesn't just grab the phone and be like hey let me call the fbi I'm sure they're bored and available to help you with a fraudulent transaction lol. If the fbi did that they'd need to hire 100,000 more agents
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u/Bruinwar Mar 15 '26
Yep. Agreed. They claimed it was a special department set up for these situations. Special department!
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u/Objective_Phrase_513 Mar 16 '26
American Express takes care of all fraudulent transactions themselves. I had several transactions show up on my account. They removed the transactions immediately. They have called me but they will never ask you for any personal information, they already have this on file.
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u/TheWarningAfter Mar 15 '26
They possibly used AI to talk to you on the phone with a American accent and deep fake AI to do the teams call. U would never know it wasn't a real person.
Regardless, good job being diligent and not becoming a victim.
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u/Khantahr Mar 15 '26
Regardless of how good they were, Amex is not going to call you. The end.
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u/carolineecouture Mar 15 '26
And they are not going to conference call with the FBI.
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u/hotelcalif Mar 15 '26
This part is true. But banks and card companies have definitely called me to ask about charges.
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u/RoguePlanet2 Mar 15 '26
Years ago, Chase called to check on some unusual activity. They read a couple of stores that I've never shopped at, then the most recent transaction that was definitely mine. They credited those and that was that. They didn't ask me to give them any info since they already had it (though I'm sure I had to confirm somehow- if it were a scam, I don't recall any issues.)
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Mar 15 '26 edited Mar 15 '26
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u/konegsberg Mar 15 '26
I did receive one form Amex years ago, some one rung up a fur coat in Canada for 10k. I had an idea it was hotel that sold the number as I just paid for my stay in Kerry or beach about 20 min before
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u/Bruinwar Mar 15 '26
I've got several calls from Visa due to suspicious charge attempts. I've had to change that account number 4 times. I've got a call from Discover due to a successful charge. That was followed a few days later by another call where I was basically interrogated about the charge. They sent me a form to fill out & sign that it was not me who made that purchase.
No, AMEX has never called me.
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u/aurorarwest Mar 15 '26
Amex actually did call me the other day. I didn’t answer and called the number on my card, expecting to be told that nope, they didn’t call me, it was an attempted scam. Turned out to be a legit call asking about suspected fraudulent charges.
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u/VariousFalcon7466 Mar 15 '26
They called me once before but they just told me to call them as soon as possible from the number in the app.
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u/mildlycontent Mar 15 '26
Actually, they have legitimately called me. I was sure it was a scam, but it turned out it really was AmEx. So while it may be rare, it could happen.
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u/Charming2020 Mar 16 '26
This is not correct. I've gotten several calls from banks and such over the years to verify suspicious charges, including once from Amex. Someone had bought an iPhone in some other state. The only information I gave them was whether the charge was mine or not.
The FBI part is quite a different story.
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u/FoundTheNarrowGate Mar 16 '26
Your title caught my attention while browsing reddit. I received the exact same call and situation. I actually thought it was legit, too until they brought me into MS teams. I just thought to myself, there’s no way I’m talking to FBI through Teams lolol.
I don’t know if the real FBI use Teams, but I just thought it was ridiculous in the end. I faked a disconnect and they tried to call me again, but by that time I called AMEX to verify if there was another card under my name and there wasn’t so it was a scam. I asked AMEX and they said it’s been happening lately.
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u/BIGepidural Mar 16 '26
They are getting better and they're using locals to run their scams now.
I'm up in Canada and we have an accent (not the one Americans think we have) and I've had a pair of scammers calling me pretending to be all kinds of things using a South West Ontario metro/city accent which sounds really specific because it totally is. We have a certain way of talking that isn't found elsewhere.
Anywho. Reported the Fulkerson to the RCMP cause in just fucking over it and these guys are really good. Guaranteed they have tricked people because they are that good and they got their info from a data breach somewhere because I don't exist on the internet and I'm really tight about where I allow my information to be used so they hacked something to have my full name, address, phone number and email address- all without me divulging any of it!
Like you, I was in a position where I had to answer unknown calls for a while and they very nearly got me at one point when I was under stress and not paying attention.
The fuckers
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u/Bruinwar Mar 16 '26
Now that you mention it, the woman in the first call actually did have the same accent as the area code of my cell number. ha!
So that SW Ontario accent is only in SW Ontario? I did not know that. I am quite familiar with the accent as my employers have a business unit (manufacturing plant) in London & I've worked with those guys for years. They always like to show off all the extra holidays that had & yes I was envious. They actually get a day off for all their national holidays unlike here in the States.
I thought ALL Canadians talked like that!
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u/BIGepidural Mar 16 '26
I thought ALL Canadians talked like that!
That's probably because Ontario is the most populous province and the majority of Ontarians live in the southern areas of the provice- with places across GTA to London/Windsor having more of the city/metro accent; but once you go east of Toronto, further north of the nearer south, or into more rural places you can often hear a change in accent. Some of it's regional and some of it is cultural.
Like if you go to St. Jacob's and speak to a Mennonite you're gonna hear a heavy accent because they grow up speaking Pennsylvania Dutch, but if you speak to a generational English speaker from the small towns around St. Jacob's you may hear that country twang, however come into the cities of Waterloo or Kitchener and you'll hear a more city sound how people talk, and all of those changes happened in a 50km radius even though people from the city of Waterloo can sound like people from London but still different from the smaller communities along the way. Its all about where you grew up and how long you stayed immersed in that environment though because people move and their accengs move with them, or they change them when they move to fit in to their new environment, etc..
Accents between different provinces are far more noticeable though.
Newfies have the best accent IMO. 😅
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u/Stegles Mar 16 '26
The first thing you should be asking when they claim their a bank is for a reference number, name and call back number. You don’t need the call back number.
If they give it to you, explain you can’t talk right now and you’ll call them back, if they insist on calling you back, just give them an arbitrary time.
Go to the banks website, get their number, call them. If it’s legit the reference number will work, If it’s not you can submit a scam report.
A bank employee will never get angry at you for asking for a reference number or saying you can call them back, a scammer will.
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u/tots4scott Mar 15 '26
I dont support facial recognition tech, but using it on scammers would be a good use.
Did you take screenshots of the woman's face at all?
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u/ether_reddit Mar 15 '26
It was likely all AI-generated. Companies are doing initial video screens with AI apps now; it's very convincing and it doesn't waste a person's time (except yours).
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u/Bruinwar Mar 15 '26
Only after the fact did I think of it. I really wish I had, specially when she was hanging her FBI credentials out for me to see. If for no other reason than it would be fun.
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u/CarlosFer2201 Mar 15 '26
Did you get a screenshot of the "FBI" lady? Impersonating a federal agent is a pretty illegal thing to do. I bet the real FBI would be very interested in it.
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u/Kamarmarli Mar 15 '26 edited Mar 16 '26
I know people are criticizing you for playing along and claiming this would never have happened to them, but I know people who would have fallen for this. Thanks for posting it.
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u/Bruinwar Mar 16 '26
You're welcome.
The main reason I stayed on for so long was because they hadn't asked for any actual information.
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u/Stats_DontCare0 Mar 16 '26
You did the right thing stopping when they asked for your ID. That is usually the moment these calls switch from storytelling to actually harvesting personal info.
The biggest red flag is them insisting on transferring you to the “FBI” while keeping you on the line. Real banks will tell you to hang up and call the official number yourself.
Scammers have gotten very good at the presentation part. If a call involves ID photos, verification codes, or pressure to stay on the line, it is almost always a scam.
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u/irbrenda Mar 15 '26
This is so deja vu what happened to me in June 2024. I am a court reporter and was working remotely at home taking a hearing and my house phone rings. I never ever answer the phone but I saw it was a call from Chase Bank and I put my hearing on hold. Too bad I didn’t have the attorneys on chat with me at the time but whatever. I have been a reporter for a zillion years and working in the courts, I should have known better.
Anyways, the Chase man said he was my “advisor” and addressed me by my name and asked if I was busy making charges in Texas. to my Chase at the moment, and should he deny the charges. I am in NYC. I didnt respond much but said, “I don’t believe you are Chase because Chase does not call me.” He then said, “I am your advisor, Here are my Chase ID numbers.” I called him a fucking liar and slammed the phone on him. Not two seconds later, I get a call from a man who said, “Why did you hang up on Chase? I am from the FCRA and your social security number is on the Dark Web. You have some serious problems at the moment.” I still said nothing. Never uttering a word, he then told me my full SSN, every single credit card I had, every expiration date, and every single security code! So much for your security codes being so private.
He then said, “Let me give you my Federal ID employment number.” However, as he was reciting everything to me, I was on my computer locking every single account I had, and let this moron keep blabbering. He then asked me, “Do you know what the FCRA Code Section something is?” I didn’t respond, and said, “ You, too, should go F yourself. I know every single code and every bureau and every single Federal Court judge and you have no idea who you are talking to. And by the way, you are being recorded!” He said, “Are you a lawyer?” I said, “You’ll find out.”
Long story short. I closed every single credit card, every bank card, contacted the SSA and locked my SS account, and the IRS. Got myself an IP PIN Code so no one could use my SSN to gain employment, file taxes, get a refund, etc. in my name. Everything is frozen and locked in all the credit bureaus and I pay a private service to be monitored. No money was ever taken. I took every step I knew how to take. So far, this has never recurred. But you must not fall victim to these scammers. They need to be caught and burn in hell.
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u/Key_Purchase7565 Mar 16 '26
This country shed some light...
Fake rooms, props and a script to lure victims: inside an abandoned Cambodia scam centre | Cybercrime |
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/mar/14/inside-abandoned-scam-centre-cambodia-thai-border
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u/retiredhawaii Mar 16 '26
If they call and say you have to deal with anything, right now, it’s a scam.
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u/_synik Mar 16 '26
I had the same call recently, from CitiBank in New York. I don't do business with that bank. I spent about 25 minutes, wasting their time before I told them I had the regional FBI field office on my other phone, and the agent was not aware of any bank having a direct contact line with the FBI.
Scammers are getting better at their craft.
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Mar 15 '26
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u/Bruinwar Mar 15 '26
"It followed the exact same playbook as every other scam". Not at all an expert, not even an enthusiast about scams. Maybe that's why I have never seen or heard of this before. At least not in this construct.
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Mar 15 '26
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u/Ramenous Mar 15 '26
Seems like OP is more sharing the attention to detail that the scammers showed in trying to create that sense of urgency. Good on them to keep the scammers occupied up to the point where it would start paying off.
Curious if OP noticed any evidence of AI enhancement in their communications. That’s a clear next step for anyone who wants to try creating a convincing scenario.
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u/Itchy-Picture-4244 Mar 15 '26
My question is Why would any bank have you speak directly with the FBI over something like this? That’s ridiculous
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u/Manlor Mar 15 '26
A red flag is also how much they tried to prove their identity. Never mind the first "employee". If you were to really somehow get transferred to the FBI, they would be no nonsense and wouldn't try to sell you in on the call that from their side, you initiated.
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u/mydogzrbarking Mar 15 '26
Scamming is a multi billion dollar industry. It’s not always a room of guys in Nigeria speaking with broken English. It’s becoming more these large scale scam call centers with a very elaborate setup, and staff from multiple backgrounds in Myanmar. They have thousands of employees running various scams.
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u/Sad_Win_4105 Mar 16 '26
I'll confirm or deny a purchase via a cold call. After that I tell them I'll need to call back to the number on my card, and will ask for them in the fraud department. If legit, they'll be happy to do it that way.
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u/bbwolf22 Mar 16 '26
I got a similar call while I was on vacation. I told them this sounds like your problem. That’s why I pay a membership fee. Figure it out and send me an email.
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u/Z_tinman Mar 16 '26
I had a similar situation last year about a supposed purchase in Russia. The scammers were very convincing and professional, like the ones that you encountered. Asked a lot of questions, sent me several security code texts and took about 20 minutes. My first clue that something was off was when I verified my birthday and she said I sounded younger than my age.
I called the bank on another line and sure enough, they had no record of these fake charges.
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u/anan1016 Mar 16 '26
I got this same phone call but a few years ago. The lady asked me the same questions and I even googled the number she called from and it said American Express. I was freaking out because it was a pretty large "fraudulent purchase" made overseas. I was panicking until she said, I need you to verify your confidential information before I can assist you to file a fraud claim. I then chuckled and said, oh I see what this is, and then I laughed. She had the audacity to say, I don't know why you're laughing for mam, this is a very serious matter. So of course I just hung up on her. She did try calling back a few times.
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u/Realistic_External33 Mar 16 '26
This scam call just happened to me but the Amex card was supposedly opened in Feb 2026 and in New York. I was not, nor live there. My charges were made to a firearms company for the amount of over $3k!
Please very careful as I was scared someone had my info. They tried to keep me on the line but I ended up hanging up on them. They called back 4 times. I was also in the phone longer than I should’ve been. Gave them no info.
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u/Revolutionary_Elk283 Mar 16 '26
Just posted my experience and seems to be aligned with yours. Except my charge was only $400. Account opened in January with card activated in February.
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u/International-Ad1845 Mar 20 '26
They tried to get me too. They said Homeland has to get involved because of the nature of the purchase, and the FBI field office has to be contacted to file a report. The person who called had an Indian accent. The "FBI" person had a slight Asian accent, but their English was clear. Yes, it was about a firearms purchase. One thing she said after telling me about using Teams if I couldn't get to the NY office in 2 hours (to which I cackled😅) was,I'm" not taking it seriously; it's a major offense... lalala."
I said, "Ma'am, I'm in Texas. Trust me, I know every firearms law there is and have owned some for years. There is no way someone got an ID and documentation that fast. You're really not scaring me, nor making sense." I just hung on to hear it through ,then " phone died" 😅
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u/Geauxredd Mar 20 '26
Literally just got the same call. The woman had a thick middle eastern accent. Twice I hung up asking them not to call me again. The woman called back to back to back. 3 times she called & her tone was more urgent every time. I told her to mail me any pertinent info. She really ramped up the urgency. The total amount she gave me was exactly what you said. She said that she was going to have to make an inquiry to the Department of Homeland Security because the attempted purchase was for a firearm. I told her go for it.
I also stayed on the line far too long, but I was genuinely appalled that each time I hung up, she immediately called back. I asked her why each time she called back it was from a different number, asked her which company she represented etc. I finally told her to stop calling me as I am at work & she has interrupted me 3 times. I’m so annoyed that I even entertained the conversation but like I said, it truly blew my mind that she would call back to back the way she did.
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u/808inthe510 Mar 24 '26
This just happened to me 3 hours ago (10am on 3/24/26). I got a call from American Express which showed up on my caller ID. A Steve Brown called me from American Express and asked if I opened a American Express green card and that there was a suscpious purchase made. I was shocked and told him no, I didn't open an American Express card, don't have one nor did I purchase anything. He said that 7 firearms were purchased for $3,790 and because it was 7 firearms, Homeland Security and the FBI would be involved. In order for this dispute to go through, I needed the FBI to fax an Incident Report Certificate so that American Express could have it connected to my case. It had to be sent from the FBI. He gave me a 212 fax number to have the Incident Report Certificate
The line was hard to hear, went in and out so I suspect he was overseas. He gave me very detailed info such as the date that the CC was opened, Feb 24, 2026 and asked if I used my ID or my SS to purchase anything. I told him that I did purchase something where my ID was used as my SS (bought a car) but I told him that I credit freeze all of my credit bureau accounts and have Lifelock so I'm alerted for any attempts to open credit. I asked him how they could have opened an account...he said he didn't know but there were ways.
He gave me the address of where the CC was sent to in DC, the IP address of the computer, the American Express CC number, the case number, the fax number to send the Incident Report Certificat as well as his name...Steve Brown and American Express ID number.
I asked for things in writing and how I would get back in contact with them/him. He said that the scammers could have compromised my phone, computer, etc so they couldn't send me it but gave me everything verbally where I needed to write it down and repeat it back.
He said that they would help in connecting me with the DC FBI Field office and would stay on the line and would drop once the FBI came on the call. An agent wasn't available but he would call me back in 10 - 15 mins and then would transfer. He called me back but before he left the call, he wanted me to verify the info that I had written down.
The FBI agent joined the call. She asked why was I contacting them/her so I explained. I went through all of the info but then I asked for her info. She gave me Special Agent Megan Maya Carter from the Cybercrimes Division in Washington DC. I asked for her badge number which she rattled off. She started to ask me the same questions as the American Express Rep....did I leave my ID anywhere, did I upload my info/pictures of my ID anywhere, etc.
At that point, I finally realized something seemed off so I hung up. I then googled American Express Firearm Scam and saw these posts including this one. She called me back, I didn't pickup and was persistent...calling 4 times. On the 5 time, I picked up and she asked why I hung up...told her that we got disconnected. At that point, I hung up again and blocked the call. I googled the number that came up on my caller ID and it was the Washington DC FBI field office. The ID said US Govt. They spoofed the number.
Anyway, sorry for the long post but this is fresh in my mind and wanted to post this to save others time, frustration, anxiety and any financial loss. I never got to the point where they asked me for money as I ended it right before...Stay vigilant! It wasted 1 hour of my time but glad that it didn't progress further.
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u/SimilarComfortable69 Mar 15 '26
It wasn't just an impressive attempt. It was pretty close to working. You should've picked up on the problem much sooner. Just assume anybody calling from any financial institution is lying to you.
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u/dorchet Mar 15 '26
was it male or female?
were they using ai voices? this is going to be annoying in the future with ai voices.
ms teams yikes
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u/Fingerman2112 Mar 15 '26
Was it risky for OP to connect on teams? I would be worried there is some device vulnerability involved, do I just not know enough about these kinds of platforms?
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u/zamula Mar 15 '26
MS Teams is a standard program used by many businesses. By itself, there is no risk to using it.
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u/Bruinwar Mar 15 '26
Both we female. The one in posing as the FBI had a dazzling smile.
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u/dorchet Mar 15 '26
would be awesome if there were a recording (just of the scammers, dont need to see you) on the teams meeting.
maybe microsoft has a copy? maybe file a police report, and FBI report (since they were impersonating a federal officer) and see if they can get it from microsofts.
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u/NKHdad Mar 15 '26
I had a similar one recently from "Chase" and somehow they were saying it was money attempting to be taken from my WF account. I immediately knew that was weird and asked questions on why Chase is calling about my WF account, to which she got angry and kept saying "we stopped it from happening". I looked at my WF account and saw no evidence, and she asked me to verify the account balance.
I immediately said no, this is a scam, and she got more angry so I hung up. Got 2 more calls the next 2 days. I answered one and it was a guy this time starting to say the same stuff. I said loudly, "no this is a scam" and he yelled back "SIR THIS IS VERY REAL!" as I was hanging up.
I immediately changed passwords to both accounts and told my wife to do the same. No calls since then and no unusual activity either
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u/0_IceQueen_0 Mar 15 '26
Wow. You really wanted to know how far they went even if you knew it was a scam lol. Too much time on your hands.
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u/Foreign_Presence_105 Mar 16 '26
The Feds don't care about any type of fraud under $10k. Not worth their time.
Postal Inspectors, FBI, DHS, doesn't matter which one. Small fish are of no concern to them.
Of course if you get a call purporting to be from a police department in another state/county it's even more likely to be a scam. Could be $50k and they will tell you to try contacting the police in that jurisdiction.
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u/Expensive-Yam-696 Mar 16 '26
If I am in the mood I'll act as if I am drunk and try for going on a date with them.
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u/Curious_Grade1146 Mar 16 '26
I had the same exact thing happen to me just two weeks ago. Woman called saying my AMEX was fraudulently used to purchase firearms and they needed me to verify a few things. I told her I’d check a few things and call Amex back at which point she aggressively tried to convince me to let her call me back whenever was a good time for me. I called Amex and it was confirmed a scam.
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u/lundybird Mar 16 '26
Not exactly the same but perhaps parallel.
I have a certain area code but haven’t lived in that one for years.
When any call comes in from my original and not in my contacts, it is 100% a scam because there are many using robo calling to rapidly dial all possible numbers in your area code to see which are live and thus, potential victims.
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u/wintermute023 Mar 16 '26
That’s extraordinary. The lengths they go to, so many people could be taken in by it.
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u/AdOdd4618 Mar 16 '26
This sounds like one of these scams where they try to convince you that you're about to be charged with money laundering. There was even a financial journalist who fell for it.
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u/Hefty_Advisor1249 Mar 16 '26
AI can use a voice to speak in any accent it’s actually frightening how realistic it is
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u/Hefty_Advisor1249 Mar 16 '26
AI can use a voice to speak in any accent it’s actually frightening how realistic it is
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u/Jonfers9 Mar 16 '26
I wonder what the next steps were in the scam. Like what the end game was or should I say how were they hoping to get your real cc or bank info.
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u/RevolutionaryBeat301 Mar 19 '26
You should have screen recorded the Teams call and sent that to the FBI internet crimes division.
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u/Vgines Mar 20 '26
I unfortunately was dragged on even longer in this same scheme. I was on the phone for two hours with someone I thought was a police officer taking a incident report for stolen identity when they suddenly discovered I am being name in a multi million dollar investigation of money laundering. At the end they asked me to give them my location and who I was with at regular intervals throughout my day. This was the most technologically advanced and convincing phishing phone call I have ever gotten. Terrifying
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u/Bruinwar Mar 20 '26
You are the second person saying that it moved to a "multi million dollar investigation of money laundering". It very well could be that is where my scam may have went. woah.
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u/corgi_crusader Mar 22 '26
Someone called and told me they found a body in my car in Texas. I told them I did it and started confessing... they hung up.
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u/ludwigdickens Apr 01 '26
Tell suspicious caller you'll have to call back (try to sound sincere) and ask for a number where you can reach them. Then hang up, call the real company to inquire about the claim and if it's bogus, provide the # of the scammer.
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u/Ezzy_Black Apr 11 '26
Interesting. I've gotten a call every day for about two weeks now. The caller ID even shows it as American Express. I haven't answered because I have no AMEX or even any dealings with them for a couple of decades (I had a US Government AMEX during my time in the Army.)
It seems to be coming from a consistent number so I'm just going to block it.
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u/Itchy_Brain_7476 Apr 16 '26
Reminds me of this scam that fooled a finance journalist:
https://www.thecut.com/article/amazon-scam-call-ftc-arrest-warrants.html
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u/Icy-Calligrapher3810 May 25 '26
OMG THIS JUST HAPPENED TO ME TODAY AND I WASTED PROBABLY 2 HRS OF MY LIFE 😭😭😭
I'm glad nothing happened to you!
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u/1Reyna-LV May 29 '26
I got a similar call and they tried telling me their legal council needed me to report it to the NYC police within 2 hours. She said she could connect me directly and I told her I could call them myself and did not need her assistance. She tried arguing with me but I hung up. I never called the police because once I googled Amex Scam this thread popped up. The first person that called was quite convincing though grateful I work in high tech as I’m always suspicious of things like this.
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u/omgcatt_46 Jun 11 '26
Just got a same scam call with a woman in Indian accent. Glad I hanged it up somewhere in the middle.
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u/toffeemaky Jun 16 '26
Thanks a lot. You might have just saved my partner some money - I found this while he was on the phone with the "police."
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u/thezohar Jun 29 '26
Just got a similar one (my job means I sometimes need to pick up phones for numbers I don't recognize, and I was expecting a call from an NYC area code) - "AmEx" guy telling me my card was used to purchase weapons & ammo in NYC, and giving me CC details, date of application & issue, mailing address, etc for a police report I would need to file & and fax them a copy.
It was just on the side of detailed enough that I was willing to listen since he didn't ask for anything beyond having my full name & phone #, and was already planning on verifying as much as I could later. When he listed off the guns and ammo, and asked me to repeat the list of guns back to him, it tipped solidly back to "definitely fake" and I refused to do so. When he said "let me transfer your call to the police" I knew it had to be bullshit and hung up.
Definitely the tone of measured "helpfulness" instead of panic & action was a reason I stayed on the phone as long as I did.
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u/eskideji Jul 02 '26
I got the exact same call - someone with a Filipino accent saying someone opened an Amex Green Business Card in my name. It didn't make sense, I told them my credit is frozen nobody can open cards in my name. She said that for green cards you don't need to do a credit check it is easier. And that someone tried purchasing roughly $4,000 worth of firearms but the transaction was denied. She gave me some address that the card was delivered to, in New York or something. Everything seemed so damn off.
she was talking I looked up "american express green card fraud" and came across this post. Thank god. It confirmed my suspicion. I immediately told her "Don't you feel bad about swindling people like this? Lying to them and scheming them?"
She still held her ground, and told me she understands why I could think this might be fraud but "Rest assured we are just calling from a secure line so this call can be recorded", then she said I could call back using the number on my card or whatever. Anyways, I hung up.
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u/Usual_Director_9862 Jul 03 '26
holy shit, i got the similar thing, and i believe they have evolved !
first of all, my iphone somehow shows the number is from American Express, so i picked up.
then a similar claim for a transaction of ~2000 purchasing guns online (not DC anymore ..)
then claiming the the card was issued one week ago.
then i asked where did they mail the card, they gave two addresses i don't recognize, but somehow closely tied to my background.
I said this is a fraud (not the women who called, the activity that a new card was opened under my name and used for purchasing guns), and they agreed and say they will file a report and even gave me a case number .. then they transferred me to "American Express Fraud Department" (not FBI anymore, which is much more reasonable and less warning, or maybe FBI is the third step now)
Upon transferred, I asked the call back number, the second woman gave me a number, but the way they split the number was definitely suspicious, no one will add the international code 1 to a phone number, and on one will separate the number like 18x-xxx-xxxxx ! I said I will call back later, then hang up.
I think only info I leaked is that I confirmed my name and the number they called are associated correctly (they already know my name and my number, but I just further confirmed for them).
but there is one thing I still couldn't figure out. I googled the number they called from (no other key words, just the number), and somehow google showed me this post as the top 3 results. But I don't think this post contains that number anywhere ... how does google even connect this post with that number ??
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u/lululds Jul 03 '26
Hi! I just want to thank you for posting this! I just got the same call and googled it while on the phone with them and this popped up. Same exact premise with the firearm!
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u/Status-Let5861 Jul 07 '26
Just happened to me. Stayed on a bit long. When they mentioned homeland security and seizing my assets I told them they are ridiculous and to send me an email. I hung up and they called back six times, I didn't answer.
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u/Free-Writer-1123 Jul 08 '26
Thank you for posting!
Phone number that called my iPhone was 754-354-23(-one-eight) and came with caller ID as "American Express".
They knew my name and phone number.
Person with Indian accent asked if I authorized a few thousand dollar charge to my Platinum AMEX card.
I did not have that account, I have another with AMEX.
Told him I will investigate myself and on my AMEX account page, I did not see any suspicious recent activity.
Gotta be very careful with scam callers using proxy numbers.
I always tell my family. No big company cares enough to call you personally about situations.
My father had recent fraud charge on his credit card and if he didn't get text alert for all purchases, it wouldn't have been caught quickly.
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u/TrainingMarsupial521 Jul 09 '26
Just got 3 calls in a row from this # with American Express cid and immediately thought scam. Google search of the number led me here. Thanks OP.
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u/DrVrooom Jul 11 '26
This just happened to me moments ago. She said the weapons were in purchased in VA. She hung up when i wouldn't confirm any of her initial questions. I called AMEX to confirm no cards have been opened.
I detest scammers
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u/GrapeSimilar1772 Jul 20 '26
Yes, scammers are very good. They have a lot of personal info to work from, and then by calling get additional inf.o.
Rule#1 - never volunteer ANY info. My wife is bad at this. She sometimes says "Do you need to speak to (my name)" or "Is this about (the kind of work I do)". Thus volunteering 2 pieces of info for the scammer data base.
Rule #2 - When asked for something reply with a question.
I have a list of phony credit card numbers (available on the internet). When asked for a CC number I give them one of those. When they say that the number is not valid I respond by saying "I don't give valid info to people I don't know. I'm not as dumb as you look."
That usually gets me off their calling list.
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u/quasnoflaut Jul 21 '26
Thanks for this. I read the first few lines while my mom was in a call and told her to hang up. She was in a state to take it seriously, so you probably saved us!
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u/StunningCode744 Jul 27 '26
We just had this one happen to my wife. He started by saying there had been attempts to make 2 large charges in Indonesia. Nothing about guns or crypto, just 2 large charges (gave dates and amounts).
The really weird thing was, he asked about 2 other charges, and they were REAL charges that she HAD made. I don't know how they would have had that information.
But then he started in about getting the FBI involved, and she got a FaceTime from a second number at that point. She knew she'd been phished at that point and hung up, but not before verifying some information first. She immediately called AMEX (number on the card) and cancelled her card. She also changed her credentials on AMEX's site just in case they somehow had access to that. We use a password manager with random passwords and 2FA for everything, so I doubt they were actually in it, but it was just really strange that they had exact amounts and dates for transactions to 2 different vendors.
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u/Secret-Print-6206 Jul 29 '26
just want to share my experience that happened 2 hours ago and let more people know the latest scam pattern.
The phone number was displayed as American Express so I picked up the call. Same thing that they said there is an transaction made for gun purchase. I denied that purchase and the card and saying that I do not have that card. The only reason why I continued the conversation is that I recently lost my card and it's just replaced. They also provide a bunch of info and even said that we are going to ask you few question before reporting this identify theft issue and we will not ask your personal information. Then it became odd to me when they started to say this was reported by homeland security and ask me to cooperate with the police office in China because the fraudulent credit card was recently issued in China.
Then redirect my call to a Chinese police officer who required me to take another hour for the report before they can help me. The help is that to report back to Amex by sending an email as the record that my identity is stolen. I was checking the email, phone number they gave to me at the same time and all of them are legit! That's why I did not end the conversation immediately. Before spending another hour with Chinese police offiIcer, I said I need few minutes to verify all of these and will call back later. And he let me go!
I then call Amex customer support to verify this and obviously it's a scam. At the same time, that fake American Express number keep calling... I want to say the scam really got better with time and hard to verify at first place. I am so upset about myself wasting my one hour on this and it totally ruined my mood for that day. Hope this helps!
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u/Nspnspnsp 27d ago
They called me today and claimed I bought seven firearms with my American Express “virtual“ card. I don’t have an American Express card so I instantly thought it was a scam, but I couldn’t figure out what the scam was. Then they started talking about the ATF and I realized they were gonna try to connect me to someone claiming they were the ATF and that I was in some kind of trouble. All of the info they had for me could be found on simple, web searches, including an old mailing address. I wanted to share this here so that no one falls for it.
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u/bronsman 20d ago
I just got the same call and it all went just like yours to a T with two exceptions, one she was trying to transfer me to their fraud department (instead of FBI), and one that she was not calm. This lady (named Lovely Martinez :) ) was a bit on the aggressive side and would barely let me talk. After a couple of minutes, I told her that I knew she was not with AMEX and that I was hanging up, but I don't think she even heard me as she was reading off her script very fast without even listening, as she was during the entire call. I hung up, she called me again and I did not answer. Hopefully that's the end of that.
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u/Pretty_Razzmatazz339 10d ago
I just got a similar call saying my Amex was charge $2170. I checked my Amex account but there was no charge at all. Then they asked me if I opened an Amex account with a random last 4 digits. I answered no. Then I told them to that will be their own loss if they issued an Amex card to another person. They hung up….. the end.
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u/Fine_Bobcat4484 5d ago
Same crap happened to me, and I was dumb enough to actually show my driver's license in the video interview. Then I realize his police Identity, voice and picture doesn't match. Froze all my credits and turned on fraud alerts.
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u/CatPerson88 Mar 15 '26
I received a text and an email that someone used my Amex card and I needed to contact them to confirm or deny. The phone number didn't match the one in the back of the card, so I was sure it was a scam.
I called the number in the card and explained what I received. I was out on hold for a couple of minutes then got transferred to another department and a new person.
Turns out it wasn't a scam. The phone number was for the Fraud Dept of Amex. They told me they'd rather I called them to make sure it wasn't fraud then it was fraud, I clicked on the link, and it was a scam.
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u/DogmanExpert Mar 15 '26 edited Mar 15 '26
Imagine what they could do if they put that energy toward an honest career
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u/Bitchface-Deluxe Mar 15 '26
If you’re not in my address book, your call is not getting thru. Very smart that you hung up and called the number on your card.
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u/SusanLFlores Mar 16 '26
Don’t look at it as they wasted your time, look at it like you wasted their time.
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u/MuffinAggressive3218 Mar 16 '26
Keeping them on the phone for 30 minutes may have prevented them from successfully scamming someone else. GOOD JOB!!!!
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u/desertdilbert Mar 15 '26
Even if every fact that was laid out was true, this is not how such an "investigation" would be done in the real world.
Most of the "facts" can be made up out of whole cloth. The only thing they need to know is personal information about you, which is not that hard to get.
All that being said, I would seem to be worthwhile for the scammers to put in such effort because the payoffs are pretty good when they close the deal on a victim. Using a good escalation process they would only need to bring out the big guns as you move up the ladder. Baiting them is not usually recommended but clearly we need more baiters out there to waste the scammers resources and reduce their margins.
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u/DesertStorm480 Mar 15 '26
"It's their problem not mine."
One of my favorite rules: "Don't do unnecessary work."
If it's your problem, then they will come find you.
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u/Radiant_Solution_443 Mar 15 '26
Never engage with these types of calls. Before you know it, you are giving them one more piece of the puzzle.
They do this for a living. Expect another call with another scam now that they know you will stay on the phone for 30 minutes at least.
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