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Calls saying the FTC will deactivate your phone number are a scam

A new twist on government impersonation: a fake FTC official says a phone registered in your name is being used for scams overseas, then hands you to a fake police officer. How the call unfolds, the signs, and where to report it.

Short answer

The FTC is not calling to deactivate your phone number. Its October 22, 2026 alert says impersonators claim your number is tied to scams abroad, threaten to cut it off, then pass you to a fake police officer who wants a "security deposit". Real FTC employees never ask for money, threaten to disconnect your phone or demand secrecy.

PrivacyTechReview Editorial Team Editor-in-Chief: Kirill Prosandeev Reviewed Oct 26, 2026 5 min read
Illustration: a smartphone with a glowing incoming-call screen lying on a dark walnut desk at night, its light held back by a translucent glass shield as red light particles scatter around it
Illustration: PrivacyTechReview editorial

On October 22, 2026, the Federal Trade Commission warned about the latest version of the FTC impersonator scam. A caller posing as an FTC official says a phone registered under your name and number is being used to commit scams in another country, and threatens to deactivate your number if you don't cooperate. None of it is true: the FTC says the whole story is a scam.

How the scam unfolds

The FTC describes a scripted story that builds over several steps:

  1. The caller claims to be an FTC official and reads out a badge ID number. The badge is fake.
  2. If you don't cooperate, they say, your phone number will be deactivated.
  3. To make the story feel real, they transfer you to a supposed police officer to file a report. If you hesitate, they may have you call the police department back and tell you what to search online to find its number. The FTC says the people who answer that call are part of the scam.
  4. The "officer" asks for your ID and other personal information for the report and tells you to keep everything secret.
  5. Later comes more bad news: you're told you are under arrest for the scams tied to your number and have to go to another country, unless you send money for a "security deposit".

Calling back feels like checking the story. In this scheme, the callback is part of the script.

The same pitch from fake FCC staff

The Federal Communications Commission released a similar consumer alert on August 10, 2026, about calls and texts from people posing as FCC commissioners or employees who falsely claim your phone number is under investigation for criminal activity. The FCC says its employees will never call to say your number is under investigation, never direct you to a special "law enforcement hotline", and never demand payment or personal or financial information or threaten legal action. It also says it doesn't seek or accept payment in cash, cash apps, cryptocurrency, store credit accounts or gift cards.

How to tell it isn't the FTC

The FTC lists four things a real FTC employee will never do:

  • Contact you to ask you to send money, or connect you to someone who tells you to send money.
  • Threaten to disconnect your phone.
  • Tell you to keep your conversations secret.
  • Text you a photo of their employee ID to verify who they are.

The FTC's broader imposter-scam guidance adds that scammers fake caller ID, offer employee ID or badge numbers, and use the names of real government employees. It also says that anyone who tells you to move your money quickly to "protect" it is a scammer.

What to do if you get the call

  • Hang up. That is the FCC's advice for these calls. If a call or text includes a threat of violence or harm, report it to local law enforcement right away.
  • Don't call numbers or open links the caller gives you or tells you to search for. If you think the contact might be real, reach the agency through a phone number, website or email address you know is real.
  • Talk it over with someone you trust, especially if the stranger on the phone says it's serious, involves a crime or comes from the government. The FTC recommends this step.
  • Never share account numbers, Social Security numbers, passwords, PINs or other sensitive information with an unexpected caller.
  • Ask your phone company about call-blocking tools, and consider a call-blocking app, as the FCC suggests.

If you already paid or shared information

Contact the bank, card issuer, payment app, money transfer company or cryptocurrency ATM operator you used right away, tell them it was a scam and ask them to reverse the payment and refund your money. If you gave out your Social Security number and it has been used, the FTC points to IdentityTheft.gov for a personalized recovery plan.

Where to report it

  • FTC: report impersonators at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
  • FCC: file at consumercomplaints.fcc.gov and choose the "Phone" form and the "Unwanted Calls/Texts" issue. The FCC asks for the number shown on caller ID, the number that received the call, the time and time zone, the name the caller used, and any recording or screenshot.
  • Local police, if the call or text threatened violence or harm.
No government agency will shut off your number over the phone, and none will ask you to pay to keep it. Hang up, then report the call.

Frequently asked questions

Will the FTC ever call to disconnect my phone?
No. The FTC says a real FTC employee will never threaten to disconnect your phone, ask you to send money, connect you to someone who asks for money, or tell you to keep your conversations secret. A caller who does any of these is a scammer.
The caller read me a badge number. Does that prove anything?
No. In this scam the FTC says the badge is fake, and a real FTC employee will never text you a photo of their employee ID to prove who they are. The FTC also notes that impersonators fake caller ID, give badge numbers or use the names of real government employees.
They told me to call the police back myself. Isn't that safe?
Not when they tell you what to search for or which number to call. The FTC says the scammers steer you to a number where people involved in the scam answer. To verify, use contact information for the agency that you know is real, not anything the caller suggested.
Where should I report a fake FTC or FCC call?
Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. You can also file with the FCC at consumercomplaints.fcc.gov using the "Phone" form and the "Unwanted Calls/Texts" issue. If the caller threatened violence or harm, contact local law enforcement.

Sources · checked Oct 26, 2026

PrivacyTechReview Editorial Team

Editorial

Our editorial team researches consumer security products using public vendor documentation and independent laboratory reporting.

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