Suburban Chicago man loses $69,000 to scammer using AI-generated U.S. Marshals badge

by Carol Thompson, Dorothy Tucker

First you get a call from a company you know well, saying a number of product purchases are connected with your name and your bank account. Then someone from a federal law enforcement agency gets on the phone and warns you your account is in danger and scammers are after your money. This person tells you there is a way for you to protect yourself. But you must hurry.

That's the call and the convincing pitch a suburban Chicago man received in March. The person on the other end of the line gave his name and even texted a photo of himself holding his U.S. Marshals badge to prove he was the real thing.

Now, the victim is out $69,000 — a big chunk of his cash savings — and we're asking the experts what can be done to prevent this type of fraud in the future?

The call and the pitch

The man who shared his story with CBS News Chicago Investigators is too embarrassed to reveal his face or use his name, but his son Tony helped explain what happened.

He said his father was watching television when he got a phone call. The caller ID said "Apple," but Tony said it was actually an "imposter that was acting like Apple."

"They had asked him about some fraudulent charges they noticed on his account," Tony said. "And they said, it looks like your account's been compromised."

Tony's father said he was given an urgent warning from the woman on the phone, who told him that if he wanted to protect "your property, your money and everything," then she'd transfer him over to speak to a man "who works for the U.S. government."

Tony said his father then started speaking with another person, a man, who told him, "I don't want you [to] think that I'm a scammer. I'll send you the proof that I am not."

The proof was a texted photo. It showed the name of the man he thought he was speaking with, Silas V. Darden, U.S. Marshal, on an official-looking identification badge.

"He says, go to the bank. I'll give you the number to transfer the dough," Tony's father said.

He thought the two new accounts were set up in his name and that he was transferring the money to himself to protect his savings. 

So he went to a Bank of America branch in Woodridge, not his usual branch, because that one was too busy. He said he would have to wait too long. He thought he had to act fast.

In Woodridge, he asked a bank officer to transfer $24,000 to one of the accounts at Wells Fargo. He signed a digital waiver and the transfer went through.

After several more phone calls with the man he believed to be a U.S. Marshal, a few days later, he went back to the same Bank of America and this time transferred $45,000 to a second Wells Fargo account. A branch manager had to sign off on that transaction. It also went through.

That's when he decided to go to a nearby Wells Fargo to make sure his money was safe, asking them to verify if it was in his name or not.

Instead, he found out that neither account was in his name and both accounts had been closed. His $69,000 was gone.

"For him, it's more than 40% of his total lifetime cash liquid savings," said Tony.

The scam

How was Tony's father convinced to make these wire transfers?

After he heard about what happened, the first thing Tony did was search online for Silas V. Darden. That name appears in official agency press releases, identifying Darden as a deputy director. A real person.

But, when CBS News Chicago contacted the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), we were told Darden left the USMS a couple of years ago. And, that photo texted to Tony's father?

"Oh, that was completely generated by AI," said Brady McCarron, Deputy Chief in the Office of Public Affairs for the USMS. It was not the real Darden.

McCarron says no one in federal law enforcement would ever do what this scammer did.

"Law enforcement will never call you. We will never ask for any money," he said.

According to FBI Internet Crime Complaint (IC3) data, government impersonation scams were the seventh largest crime type reported, with more than 34,000 in 2025, nearly double the number reported the year before.  In total, nearly $798 million was lost in 2025, an increase of 97% from 2024.

"They believe the phone number's real. They believe the photo is real," said McCarron.

And all age groups can be convinced to do what the scammer says, especially if they think they're speaking with a federal agent. McCarron said he's seen the scam work on college students, married couples, professionals, senior citizens and more.

In 2025 more than 17,000 complaints of government impersonation scams were filed for people ages 30 to 59. Those groups lost more than $221 million.

More than 8,600 scams were reported by people aged 60 and older. They lost just over $413 million.

The FBI has also started reporting the number of complaints of specific types of scams that use artificial intelligence, or AI.

McCarron said generative AI use has become more prevalent recently, especially with government impersonation scams. 

"They're now using pictures, those pictures are created by AI. Don't fall for them," he said. 

Suggestions and solutions

After inquiries by CBS News Chicago Investigators, Tony said he has been in contact with both Bank of America and Wells Fargo concerning his father's case. He has also filed reports with local police, the Federal Trade Commission and the Illinois Attorney General concerning the fraud.

Wells Fargo sent CBS News Chicago a statement, writing, "Anytime we identify or are alerted to potential fraudulent or scam activity involving any account, we investigate and take swift and appropriate action, including, when warranted, the closure of accounts and alerting or working with the appropriate authorities to help combat fraudsters."

And, Bank of America sent this in a statement, writing ""We recognize the emotional toll and hardship faced by anyone who becomes a victim of a scam. We prioritize client protection and take action to mitigate risk to clients from scams, including proactively warning clients during these transactions. Unfortunately, clients sometimes ignore our warnings and insist on completing the transactions. To be clear, the root of the problem is criminals who prey on hardworking Americans, and we will continue to work closely with government and law enforcement to hold them accountable."

Both financial institutions provide online resources to help their customers protect themselves. You can visit these pages from Bank of America and Wells Fargo to find that information. 

Neither bank could tell CBS News Chicago anything specific to Tony's father's case because of financial privacy laws.

But there's one piece of advice security experts say is critical to staying safe. You should ask to be added to your loved one's account as a Trusted Contact so you can learn of potentially suspicious transaction requests before any money transfers or withdrawals take place.

Additional protections are part of an Illinois bill introduced in the House of Representatives in February. HB4767 would expand the Adult Protective Services Act to cover all financial institutions, including banks and credit unions. The changes allow any bank to place a hold on the accounts of adults with disabilities or older adults, if an employee suspects financial exploitation. The hold would be limited to a maximum number of days and mandate the institutions notify law enforcement if fraud is involved.

The bill currently sits in the House Rules Committee.

According to the American Bankers Association, 28 other states have this type of protection in place, including several that passed the legislation recently.

A spokesperson for the IL Attorney General's office said in a statement, "Our office is committed to protecting seniors from financial exploitation, fraud and scams. Fraud-induced transfers are a serious problem that affects all consumers, particularly seniors, and our office is open to working with the Legislature on proposals to help combat this issue."

There are companion bills before the U.S. House and Senate which would create a task force on payment scams to study trends and issue recommendations. The goal:  to prevent this type of fraud. There's been no movement on those bills since June and August of last year. 

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Suburban Chicago man loses $69,000 to scammer using AI-generated U.S. Marshals badge