This is alarming. Scammers are impersonating the FBI itself, specifically the people who handle Internet Crime Complaint Center reports. And they hunt one group above all others: Americans who already lost money to a scam.
The pitch sounds like mercy: We recovered your funds. We can help you file to get them back. Simply cover the fee.
Why it looks so real
The bureau updated this alert, and the upgrade is the ugly part. Criminals run AI-generated videos of senior FBI officials. They build social media profiles for agents who never existed. They stand up copycat sites that mimic the complaint center’s hub at ic3.gov, issue official-looking case reference numbers and move it all to Telegram.
A security firm spotted one Facebook page calling itself “Ic3 Scam Recovery Inc.,” complete with invented testimonials promising a professional case assessment.
Here’s how they find you. They read the public posts. Somebody vents in a Facebook group about losing eight grand, and within a day, a polite stranger slides into their direct messages.
The numbers explain the effort. The IC3 logged more than a million complaints in 2025 with losses topping nearly $21 billion, a 26% jump in a single year. Americans 60 and older absorbed more than $7.7 billion of that. Government impersonation alone drew over 32,400 reports and nearly $800 million in losses.
Burn these four rules into your brain
One. The IC3 has no social media presence. None. Any Facebook page, X account or Instagram profile claiming to be IC3 is fake, full stop.
Two. The FBI will not call, email or text you offering to recover your money. That call is a scam.
Three. Type ic3.gov into the address bar yourself. Skip the search results, especially the sponsored ones. Confirm the address ends in .gov before you type a single detail.
Four. Nobody legitimately charges you a fee to get your own money back. The second somebody mentions crypto, gift cards or a wire transfer, hang up.
If this has already happened to you or someone you love, report it at ic3.gov. And for people 60 or older, the Justice Department runs an Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-372-8311, staffed by real people who walk you through the filing.
Getting scammed is not a character flaw. Professionals did this to you, and they do it all day. The only shame in this story belongs to them.
Text-to-911 service is available in every Arizona county, including Maricopa County. Arizona Department of Public Safety+1.
During an emergency, open a new text message in your phone’s messaging app.
Enter “911” as the recipient.
Type your message clearly stating the nature of the emergency and your exact location.
Send the message.
Text-to-911 is intended for emergencies only, such as when you cannot make a voice call (e.g., due to speech disability, danger, or being unable to speak)
Voice calls are preferred if possible, as they allow faster information gathering
Include your exact location — texting does not automatically send your GPS to 911
Use plain English, avoid abbreviations or emojis, and keep messages concise
No multimedia (photos, videos) is supported — only text is allowed
Ensure your phone has an active text plan; Text-to-911 may not work without service
Response time can be slower than voice calls, so be prepared for delays
For non-emergency police matters, use Gilbert PD’s non-emergency number: (480) 503‑6500.
WOW! One photo of your grandkid’s pencil drawing becomes a 10-page illustrated storybook, with the art drawn in your grandkid’s own style, and it reads itself aloud. Free, about two minutes, no design skills required.
The Short Version: Snap a photo, open Gemini's Storybook tool, paste one prompt, then print the PDF. Steps below.
Google’s free, truly amazing Storybook tool inside Gemini takes one photo of a pencil drawing, then writes and illustrates a 10-page picture book around it. It even reads the story aloud. Total time: about two minutes. The look on your grandkid’s face: permanent.
How to do it
Make it theirs: Ask the tool to use your grandkid’s name as the hero, the family dog as the sidekick or a lesson baked in (“trying new foods,” “being brave at the dentist”). Want a different look? Storybook does comic book, claymation, crochet, even a coloring-book version the artists can fill in themselves.
Rather use ChatGPT?
Upload the drawing photo and paste: “Write a 10-page illustrated children’s storybook starring this character. Keep the drawing’s exact look, one picture per page, then make it a printable PDF.” You get the pages and the file, ready to print.
Two FYIs. Gemini’s Storybook requires an adult account, so this is a do-it-together project with you at the wheel. And read the book once before bedtime. AI still improvises, and you want to see the plot twist before your 6-year-old does.
Tuck the original drawing inside the back cover of the printed book, with the date on it. Twenty years from now, that’s not a book. That’s a time machine.
This article covers pre and early retirement years and offers a key window for tax strategies. I thought it was good information. Link here: Taxes during the transition to retirement | Fidelity
A box shows up on your porch. Your name, your address, no receipt, no sender. Inside: a seed packet, a cheap ring, one sad pasta strainer.
You didn’t order it. So who did? A scammer, and here’s the kicker: The package isn’t a scam. YOU are the product.
It’s called a brushing scam. Sketchy online sellers need glowing “verified purchase” reviews to climb the rankings. They buy your name and address (data breaches are the gift that keeps on giving), ship you something that costs them pennies, and boom, the system sees a real delivery to a real customer. Then they write a 5-star review of their junk product. Signed, basically, by you.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service says it plainly: It’s illegal, and if you’re getting these boxes, your personal information is compromised. Not “might be.” Is.
Lately these packages come with a little card: “Scan this QR code to see who sent your gift!” The FBI put out a formal alert about this one. That code can send you to a phishing site that harvests your card number, or it could push malware onto your phone. Curiosity is what they’re counting on.
The package is bait. The QR code is the hook. Don’t be the fish.
Got one? Do this.
Keep it, toss it or donate it. Guilt-free. Federal law says unordered merchandise is yours to keep as a free gift. You owe nobody a dime.
Do NOT scan any QR code or visit any website printed inside. And never pay a “shipping fee” to claim a mystery gift.
Change the password on your Amazon and shopping accounts, and turn on two-factor authentication while you’re in there. If a scammer has your address, assume they’ve shopped for more.
Check your accounts for reviews you didn’t write and orders you didn’t place. Report fakes to the retailer. Amazon has a dedicated brushing report page.
Watch your credit at all three bureaus, plus card statements for small test charges.
Report it to Amazon or the marketplace it came from, the postal inspectors at 1-877-876-2455 and ic3.gov if there was a QR code involved.
FYI, the fake reviews themselves are a federal offense. The FTC can fine sellers over $51,000 per phony review.
So if a mystery box shows up this weekend, you know the drill. Keep the strainer. Skip the QR code. Change your passwords.
Here’s what you need to know: That voicemail from your mom isn’t stored on your phone. It lives on your carrier’s server, and your carrier treats it like leftovers in the office fridge.
AT&T: Basic voicemail keeps messages 14 days. Visual voicemail, 30.
T-Mobile: 14 to 30 days, and once it’s deleted, their own support page says it “cannot be retrieved.”
Verizon: Doesn’t publish an exact number, but their FAQ flat out says they’re not liable for deleted messages, “even if you saved them.”
Consumer Cellular: Doesn’t publish a countdown. But their support is 100% U.S.-based, and they’ll walk you through saving a message step by step. Dial 611 from your phone, or call 1-888-345-5509. Do it before you need it, not after. Full disclosure: Consumer Cellular is a sponsor of my national radio show.*
I tested the steps below. Yours might be different, depending on your phone’s make, model and operating system.
iPhone: Open Phone > Voicemail. Tap the message, then tap the Share button (the box with the arrow). Choose Save to Files, or tap More, then pick iCloud Drive or Google Drive. Done. It’s now an audio file you own.
Android: Open the Phone app > Voicemail. Tap the message to expand it, hit the Share icon and save it to Google Drive. It exports as an MP3.
Samsung: In Visual Voicemail, click and hold the message you want to save, tap Archive. FYI, archiving removes it from the server, so move that file somewhere safe right away.
Old-school or landline voicemail: Play it on speaker and record it with another device. Nobody’s judging. The recording is the point.
Pro tip: If you’re ever closing a loved one’s account, save the voicemails before you call the carrier.
Did you know that if your home is in a Trust that your insurance should also be in the name of the trust for that property? Check with your insurance agent so this doesn't become an issue if you have a claim.
Simplify an iPhone: Don't struggle with all the tiny buttons and endless menus on your i-Phone. iPhone has a special mode with a basic home screen, bigger text and larger app icons. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Assistive Access to set it up. To exit this mode, triple-click the side button.
The good news and the catch
The FCC now requires carriers to route your 911 call by your phone’s actual location, not whatever tower it hit. Big carriers switched over in late 2024. Smaller ones came online this past May, but calls still fall back to a tower guessing when your phone can’t get a fast location fix.
When your phone can’t grab a fast fix (basements, concrete high-rises, rural valleys with no bars), your call still falls back to the old tower method. Millions a year still will. Your settings decide whether 911 sees you or a guess two towns over.
Lock it down
Phone makers love moving things around, so your taps may look a little different. Poke around. The setting’s in there.
· iPhone: Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services, turn on Emergency Calls & SOS. Then in Health, tap your photo > Medical ID and turn on Share During Emergency Call.
· Android: Settings > Safety & emergency > Emergency Location Service.
Use Wi-Fi calling? Your carrier keeps an emergency address on file. Moved since? 911 could get your OLD address.
· iPhone: Settings > Cellular > Wi-Fi Calling > Update Emergency Address.
· Samsung: Settings > Connections > Wi-Fi Calling > menu > Emergency address.
· Pixel: Settings > Network & internet > SIMs > your carrier > Wi-Fi calling > Emergency address.
· On any other Android or if you can’t find the setting: Open your carrier’s app (Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, etc.), search “Wi-Fi calling emergency address” and update it there. Same fix, different door.
Send this to anyone who only carries a cell phone. It’s their lifeline to 911.
In the United States, ScamSafe is an AI-powered tool that analyzes suspicious emails, texts, or letters. Users can paste or upload messages, and the AI identifies red flags such as fake urgency, impersonation, suspicious links, and payment tricks. It provides a clear verdict and guidance on what to do next, without storing or sharing the messages. This version is particularly aimed at protecting seniors and families from fraud www.scamsafe.us.
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