NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The FBI’s Nashville Field Office is warning Tennesseans about a rise in scams and cybercrime targeting both music industry professionals and fans.
Federal investigators said a review of complaints submitted to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, known as IC3, along with ongoing investigations, identified growing trends involving romance scams, extortion, fake ticket sales, hacked social media accounts and stolen unreleased music.
“A review of complaints submitted to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), along with our pending investigations, has identified clear trends in the tactics criminals are using to target employees in the music industry and fans alike,” said Terence G. Reilly, special agent in charge of the FBI Nashville Division. “We urge everyone to pause before taking action and to be wary of high-pressure tactics used by scammers.”
According to the FBI, cybercriminals have targeted singers, songwriters, producers, managers, music journalists, record label owners and fans across the United States.
The FBI said 527 IC3 complaints related to romance scams involving criminals impersonating musicians resulted in losses totaling more than $12.2 million. Nearly 60% of those reports came from people over age 60.
Investigators also reported:
- 107 complaints involving non-delivery, advanced fee and overpayment scams targeting music industry professionals, totaling more than $777,000 in losses
- 64 complaints involving extortion attempts tied to unreleased music, personal information or explicit photos
- 61 complaints from fans who paid for but never received concert tickets, meet-and-greets or merchandise, totaling more than $325,000 in losses
- 55 complaints involving data breaches where hackers gained access to unreleased music or social media accounts
How to avoid scams and cybercrime
The FBI shared several recommendations for protecting personal information, finances and online accounts:
- Keep devices, apps and software updated
- Use strong, unique passwords for every account
- Turn on multi-factor authentication whenever possible
- Keep social media accounts private
- Verify someone’s identity before communicating or sending money online
- Do not open unexpected attachments or invoices
- Avoid making sensitive purchases or transactions on public Wi-Fi
- Double-check email addresses and website URLs for fake spellings or suspicious domains
- Do not click unsolicited links asking you to verify account information
- Be cautious of messages demanding immediate action or urgent payments
- Use credit cards for online purchases when possible for added fraud protection
- Never send money to someone you only know online
- Never allow someone you do not know to access your bank account
The FBI encouraged anyone who believes they may have been targeted by a scam or cybercrime to report it to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.gov.
Victims aged 60 or over who need assistance filing an IC3 complaint can contact the DOJ Elder Justice Hotline, 1-833-FRAUD-11 (or 833-372-8311).
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