The U.S Marshals are warning the public not to respond to two recent scams involving people fraudulently posing as Marshals making calls across the country.
The first is a warning about a scam where the fraudster calls members of the public and alleging they, or their family members, have an active federal arrest warrant and demanding payment of fines.
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“Recently, there were reported attempts of a fraudulent caller who identified himself as a Deputy United States Marshal. This phony law enforcement officer informed the potential victims that warrants were being issued for them or their family member due to being absent from a federal grand jury they were previously summoned to appear before. The potential victims were then informed they could avoid arrest by paying a fine by electronic fund transfer or cashier’s check. The Marshals Service became aware of the scam after receiving information from several calls from alert citizens,” the service wrote.
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The U.S. Marshals Service is a federal law enforcement agency and does not seek payment of fines or fees via the telephone for individuals with outstanding arrest warrants, the service stated.
Meanwhile the Marshals Service warned of another ongoing phone scam where the swindler is claiming to be a U.S. marshal, court officers or law enforcement official looking to seeking to collect a fine in lieu of arrest for failing to report for jury duty.
“In order to appear more credible, the scammers may even provide information like badge numbers and the names of actual federal judges and courthouse addresses. Victims have been told they can avoid arrest by paying a fine using a reloadable credit card, and were urged to call a number and provide their own credit card number to initiate the process,” the service stated.
The U.S. Marshals Service does not call anyone to arrange payment of fines over the phone for failure to appear for jury duty or any other infraction, the service said, and urged the public not to divulge personal or financial information to unknown callers, even if they sound legitimate. Actual court orders can be verified through the U.S. Clerks Office.
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