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MIAMI – A scam designed to bilk people out of their money is targeting South Florida residents, the FBI said.

The FBI’s Miami Division said callers are posing as federal officers instructing people to wire or mail settlement money or assist law enforcement with an investigation against a bank.

“These calls are fraudulent, and call recipients should hang up immediately,” the FBI said in a press release. Federal agencies do not call or email individuals threatening them to send money or to use their personal money as ‘bait’ for a federal investigation.”

The FBI says similar scams have been around for years in the U.S., but recently they are getting more reports about it.

“Criminals use law enforcement impersonation scams as a means of confusing and unnerving their intended victims in order to get them to act rashly,” said Supervisory Special Agent Michael Brown. “If you receive one of these calls, hang up, and report the incident to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.”

According to the FBI, in 2024, Florida residents reported 1,579 impersonation scams with an estimated loss of over $12 million.

The federal law enforcement agency is asking residents to ignore the calls.