Scammers posing as government officials collected nearly twice the cash from victims in 2023 as they did the previous year, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and stats for 2024 show the disturbing trend isn’t letting up.

Government impersonation scams disproportionally target servicemembers, veterans, and others who regularly deal with federal entities – from TRICARE to the VA to any number of other departments and providers. TRICARE For Life beneficiaries recently saw an uptick in fake text messages from scammers posing as a health care provider, for example.

Scammers posing as government officials seeking cash payments have scored big in recent months, according to FTC data: Victims reported losing $76 million in cash in 2023, up from $40 million in 2022. Fraudsters collected another $20 million in the first quarter of 2024.