BATON ROUGE — The United States Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana, Kurt L. Wall, warned Louisiana residents about government and business imposter scams in honor of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on Monday.

According to Wall, the Federal Trade Commission received more than 375,000 reports of government imposters in 2025, with reported losses estimated to be about $917 million. 

Scammers allegedly pretend to be someone else with the goal of tricking residents into providing money, access to financial accounts or personal information, often using complicated stories featuring emergencies to cause residents to act quickly before thinking about what to do.

A common scam usually begins with a person claiming they're from a well-known business and allegedly noticing suspicious activity on your account before transferring you to someone who claims to be from the government.

That person will then encourage you to move your money into a new account, a crypto ATM or give it to a courier for safekeeping.

Other lies may involve a suspended Social Security number or eligibility for government benefits.

Wall shared that no one from the government will ever advise you to move your money to protect it, threaten to suspend your government benefits if not immediately paid, or demand that you pay with an app, cryptocurrency, wire transfer or gift cards.

To learn more about imposter scams, click here. To report a scam, click here.