BCA: Scammers impersonating special agents targeting Minnesotans
August 28, 2023

Imagine: You get a phone call from someone who claims his name is Special Agent Roger Williams. He is investigating a crime and he needs your private information to confirm that you've been the victim of identity theft. You're suspicious, so you do an internet search for the phone number and see that it matches the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) general line.
After checking, you give Williams the information. Later, you find out: Special Agent Roger Williams doesn't exist. You handed over your information to a scammer.
Scammers are using readily available technology to impersonate law enforcement officers. Now, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the BCA are notifying the public about a scam affecting Minnesota residents.
“These people are taking advantage of Minnesotans and stealing their identities, while pretending to be someone who can help. It can be devastating for Minnesota families," BCA Superintendent Drew Evans said. “We are spreading the word in the hopes that forewarning can help Minnesotans stop these scams in their tracks."
Scammers are exploiting phone number spoofing technology to make calls while posing as FBI and BCA agents. By manipulating the caller ID to match the official numbers of these law enforcement agencies, the scammers have successfully deceived unsuspecting targets. The scammers pretend they are conducting an investigation and have collected sensitive details such as Social Security numbers, banking information, and residential addresses.
It is important to note that real agents investigating legitimate cases may contact residents. To determine whether the caller is legitimate, Minnesotans are advised to ask for a callback number and then reach out to the agency's official general information line.
- The FBI number is 763-569-8000.
- The BCA number is 651-793-7000.
“A legitimate BCA agent will encourage you to call the main phone number and confirm their identity. If the person who called doesn't want you to do that, hang up the phone. It's a scammer," Evans said.
If you or someone you know has fallen victim to this scam, help is available. Additional information about recognizing and reporting scams is available on the Internet Crime Compliant Center (IC3) website at ic3.gov.
Learn more about identity theft and other common scams on our website.