Stopping Scam Calls Starts with “Never, Ever”

When will the FCC call you and ask for money? "Never, Ever."

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is always working to ensure you can call 911 in an emergency and your Internet bill is easy to understand. But there is one thing we will never, ever do: call or text you and threaten to take action if you don't give us money or personal information.

The FCC has joined with the Elder Justice Coordinating Council and companies across the country as part of the "Never, Ever" campaign to shine a light on government and business imposter scams, which often target older Americans. In these scams, bad actors pretending to be government agencies or well-known companies contact you by phone or text message and try to pressure you into handing over money, personal information, or access to your accounts. They want you to act quickly before you have time to think about what to do or talk to someone you trust.

Scammers have impersonated the FCC and sometimes they use the names of real FCC employees. The FCC will Never, Ever call or text to ask for payment of any kind over the phone-especially cash apps, crypto currency, gift cards, or store credit.

Scam callers sometimes claim they are from your bank, and they need to transfer you to a government agent who will help you move your money into a "government account" for "safekeeping." It's a lie.Just hang up.
To recognize and avoid a government imposter, keep these things in mind:

• Never, Ever will someone from the government say: "Your money isn't safe. Move it to protect it." Only a scammer will.
• Never, Ever will someone from the government threaten to suspend your government benefits if you don't pay immediately. Only a scammer will.
• Never, Ever will someone from the government demand that you pay with a payment app, cryptocurrency, wire transfer, or gift cards. Only a scammer will.

Last year, imposter scams swindled Americans out of $3.5 billion. Unfortunately, many of those scams started with a phone call. That is why stopping illegal robocalls remains the FCC's top consumer protection priority.

To fight imposter scam calls, the FCC, under Chairman Carr's leadership, is holding telephone service providers that fail to protect consumers accountable. We have taken enforcement action against providers that turned a blind eye to scammers impersonating government agencies, internet service providers, banks, and major retailers.

We have also rolled out a comprehensive strategy to attack scam calls at every stage of the call path, from before your number is dialed to when the call reaches your phone.

As part of this plan, we are:

• Expanding know-your-customer and know-your-upstream provider requirements so bad actors Never, Ever place a call.
• Exploring how to ensure that bad actors Never, Ever access phone numbers to restore trust in the calls that are delivered to your phones.
• Ensuring that all voice service providers are doing their part to identify and block bad traffic so it Never, Ever reaches your phone.
• Providing you with more information about the calls that do reach your phone, so you Never, Ever have to guess if the call is one you want to answer.

At the FCC, our goal is to stop imposter scam calls.

Help protect your community from imposter scams by spreading the word and joining the Elder Justice Coordinating Council's "Never, Ever" campaign at ejcc.acl.gov/imposters.