Agencies, one-ring, and fake support

What you'll get from this chapter: How to recognize fake government agents, fake tech support, and one-ring callbacks, and the payment method that gives every one of them away.

Part III: Smartphone Survival Kit · Chapter 9 of 14

Last reviewed: October 18, 2026

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) does not text you for payment. Police do not collect gift cards. Microsoft does not call you about a virus on your computer.

Government impersonation losses reported to the FBI hit about $798 million in 2025, nearly double the year before.¹ The FBI warns that scammers now use voice clones and fake videos to make these calls believable.² One-ring scams use a missed international call so that calling back bills you at a premium rate. Fake tech-support pop-ups still push people toward remote-access apps (programs that let a stranger control your computer) and gift cards: about $2.1 billion in that category alone.¹

The payment method is the giveaway. Gift cards, cryptocurrency, a wire to a new account, or a payment app to a stranger are how scams cash out. Real agencies bill by mail.

The most convincing impostor of all claims to be your own bank. The next chapter covers the safe-account scam.