CISA warns of criminals impersonating its employees in phone calls

CISA warns of ongoing impersonation scams in which callers pose as agency employees to pressure victims into sending money, advising people to hang up, note the number, validate via 844-729-2472 (844-SAY-CISA), and report to law enforcement. The FTC notes impersonation losses exceeded $1.1B in 2023 with median losses rising from $3,000 (2019) to $7,000 (2024), and a growing blend of business/government pretexts across phone, email, and text; the FBI’s 2023 Internet Crime Report recorded $12.5B in overall online crime losses.