Friendly Reminder: The FBI Will Never Show Up Unannounced And Demand Money

Image courtesy of quinn.anya

If someone comes knocking on your door, claiming to be an FBI agent and demanding money, call the actual police — because you’re being conned by someone impersonating a federal agent. Just ask the operators of a money wiring service in Seattle, who were robbed of $130,000.

According to KOMO News, on the evening of Jan. 25, a man knocked on the store’s gate, flashed a badge, and said he was with the FBI.

Police say he told the worker that he was investigating a “bad transaction” that had occurred earlier in the day and would need a list of all the daily transactions. He then pulled out a piece of paper that read, “Search Warrant,” officials say, which apparently set off some red flags.

Things went downhill from there, with the suspect pulling out a gun and ordering the worker to empty the safe. The impostor walked out of the business with $128, 259.10 in cash, as well as the computer that houses surveillance video images, police said.

The FBI is working with Seattle police to investigate, and would like to remind the public to remain vigilant.

“The FBI is concerned because of the element of possible impersonation of an FBI agent, it’s a federal crime to impersonate a federal officer,” an agency spokeswoman said. “The FBI will absolutely never demand money from somebody.”

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