The FBI's Chicago field office circulated a February memo warning that a small group of women created fake dating profiles with a "tradwife" aesthetic in January to lure and potentially dox immigration officers. NBC News obtained the memo from the nonprofit Property of the People; The Guardian first reported it, and the FBI confirmed its authenticity. The advisory—issued amid Operation Metro Surge and tensions after fatal protests in Minneapolis—said the tactic aimed to humiliate and deter immigration enforcement.
FBI Warned Of Fake 'Tradwife' Dating Profiles That Targeted Immigration Officers
The memo was sent in February, during a time of national outrage against the country's immigration authorities. (Blake Fagan / AFP via Getty Images file)
The FBI's Chicago field office circulated an internal memo in February warning that a small group of women created fake online dating profiles in January using a "tradwife" aesthetic to target immigration personnel.
According to the memo, the profiles were deliberately crafted to appeal to law enforcement officers by "incorporating imagery of a 'traditional wife' aesthetic and listing specific interests" intended to attract affiliated immigration staff.
"The objective was to lure affiliated law enforcement personnel into an online or in-person interaction under the guise of a date, after which the individuals would be publicly exposed and doxed online," the memo states. "The tactic is intended to generate public embarrassment and deter immigration enforcement activity."
NBC News said it obtained the memo from Property of the People, a government-transparency nonprofit that received the document through a state open-records request. The Guardian first reported the memo, and the FBI confirmed its authenticity to NBC News.
The FBI emphasized that while it typically does not comment on specific intelligence products, it routinely shares information with law enforcement partners to help protect communities and the officers who serve them. The agency said it is committed to ensuring officers are safe from threats or violence while performing their duties.
The memo did not specify where the fraudulent profiles were created or provide examples of the accounts' content. It was issued amid a high-profile deployment of immigration officers to Minneapolis—an initiative called "Operation Metro Surge"—which was scaled back after the fatal shootings of two citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, during protests against immigration enforcement in January.
Officials noted the alleged Chicago profiles appeared months after a previous enforcement operation there known as "Operation Midway Blitz." The memo underscores growing concerns about the use of online deception and doxxing to intimidate or undermine law enforcement activity.
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