U.S. Marshals Service warns of phone scams
The U.S. Marshals Service is alerting the public of several imposter scams involving individuals claiming to be U.S. Marshals, court officers or other law enforcement officials, according to a news… The U.S. Marshals Service has issued a warning about several imposter scams involving individuals claiming to be US Marshals, court officers, or other law enforcement officials. These calls attempt to collect a fine in lieu of arrest due to a claim of identity theft, failing to report for jury duty or other civil process issues. The scammer then tells victims they can avoid arrest by making a payment first, often through withdrawing cash and transferring it to the government via bitcoin ATMs. Scammers use various tactics to appear credible, including providing information like badge numbers, names of actual law enforcement officers and federal judges. The Marshals service has stated that it will never demand personal or financial information from unknown callers.
Published : 4 weeks ago by Editorial staff in
The U.S. Marshals Service is alerting the public of several imposter scams involving individuals claiming to be U.S. Marshals, court officers or other law enforcement officials, according to a news release.
During these calls, scammers attempt to collect a fine in lieu of arrest due to a claim of identity theft, failing to report for jury duty or other civil process issues, the release said.
They then tell victims they can avoid arrest by making a payment first.
Often that means withdrawing cash and transferring it to the government by depositing cash into bitcoin ATMs, according to the release.
Scammers use many tactics to sound and appear credible: they sometimes provide information like badge numbers, names of actual law enforcement officials and federal judges and courthouse addresses; and they also spoof government phone numbers to appear on caller ID as if they are calling from a government agency or the court, the release said.
“The U.S. Marshals Service will never call a member of the public and demand payment to resolve a case,” the release said. “The U.S. Marshals Service will never ask for credit/debit/gift card numbers, wire transfers, bank routing numbers or to make bitcoin deposits for any purpose.
“Personal or financial information should never be divulged to unknown callers.”
If you believe you were a victim of such a scam, you are encouraged to report the incident to your local law enforcement agency and to the Federal Trade Commission at www.reportfraud.ftc.gov.