FBI Flags Rising Scams Targeting Musicians
The FBI’s Nashville Field Office has issued a fresh warning that criminals and cybercriminals are increasingly targeting the music industry, with schemes hitting both working professionals and fans. The bureau said the threats include fraud, extortion and data breaches designed to steal money, accounts and unreleased material, and it urged people to slow down when confronted with high-pressure demands.
In a public advisory, the FBI said a review of complaints submitted to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) alongside pending investigations showed “clear trends” in tactics being used against music industry employees and audiences, including romance scams involving impersonators posing as performing artists.
Terence G. Reilly, special agent in charge of the FBI Nashville Division, said the bureau is seeing repeat patterns and advised the public to be wary of urgency and emotional manipulation. Among the trends the FBI listed were unauthorised access to computers and social media accounts followed by extortion attempts, as well as alleged schemes involving AI-generated songs and automated streaming bots to exploit royalty payment systems.
The FBI also detailed reported losses from early January 2024 through late September 2025. The bureau said it received 527 IC3 complaints related to romance scams totalling $12,281,229 in losses, with people over 60 accounting for almost 60% of those reports. It also cited 107 complaints from musicians, managers, producers and label owners tied to non-delivery, advanced-fee and overpayment scams totalling $777,063, plus additional reports involving threats to obtain unreleased music or money and data breaches targeting devices and promotional accounts.
The agency recommended basic security steps such as keeping software updated, using strong unique passphrases and multi-factor authentication, and avoiding unexpected attachments or suspicious links. The FBI said victims should report suspected cyber-enabled crime through the IC3 complaint system as quickly as possible, especially when financial transactions or account compromises are involved.
