It's no secret there are a ton of scams going around at any given time but very few hit as hard as this one.

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In fact, this scam is so intense that the FBI office out of Milwaukee issued a warning to locals. This scam isn't a spoofing scam or a phishing scam.

Instead, this particular scam has cost some victims their entire life savings. It all has to do with bars of gold, which seems random until you know how it works.

First and foremost, this scam has impacted around fifty people, per the latest report. The losses from the scam average about a quarter-million dollars per person, which is huge, and millions in total.

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The scam starts with the victim getting a call or email from a scammer saying their bank accounts were hacked. The scammer creates panic, telling the person on the other end of the line that they need to invest in gold and protect the money in that bank.

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So what happens next? The scammer persuades the victim to let them keep the gold 'safe' for them so they make plans to pick it up in person. They tell the victim they are taking it to the Federal Reserve in Washington D.C.

RELATED: Minnesota Bank Chain Warns Customers About Scam

Of course, once the scammer picks up your gold, you never see it again. Now, you have spent all your money on gold and don't have the gold itself.

With holiday season upon us and busy times ahead, scammers aren't going anywhere. Thankfully, the FBI has tips for you to keep yourself as safe as possible.

LOOK: The biggest scams today and how you can protect yourself from them

Using data from the BBB Scam Tracker Annual Risk Report, Stacker identified the most common and costly types of scams in 2022.

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The more you know about common scams, the better you can protect yourself against them.

Gallery Credit: Lauren Wells