Impersonation scam
Plain definition. An impersonation scam is a fraud in which someone poses as a regulator, government agency or official to trick you into sending money or personal information, FINRA says.
Technical definition. FINRA describes financial fraudsters who pose as regulators, ask for fees to transfer funds or offer bogus investment guarantees designed to steal money. Their messages often carry the regulator’s name and logo, and some use AI-cloned voices and deepfake videos to impersonate executives; others pose as government agencies or law enforcement officials, or use fake email domains to get account details and crypto wallet information. The pitch is often an advance-fee scam: the scammer performs no service, and money sent is never seen again.
On this site
On this site, Impersonation scam comes up in Are XRP giveaways real? Is Ripple giving away free XRP?, Someone says my bank account is compromised and I should move money into crypto. Is that real?, Someone says they can recover my lost crypto for a fee. Is it real? and Are crypto ATMs a safe or sensible way to buy XRP?.
Source
Protecting Yourself From Regulator Imposter Scams | FINRA.org (finra.org), read October 1, 2026.