U.S. Marshals Service Warns Of Impostor Phone Scam
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The U.S. Marshals Service has received hundreds of calls about scammers who are impersonating caller IDs and asking people for money, the agency said. The agency says con artists are attempting to collect "fines" for failing to report to jury duty.
The scammers then tell victims nationwide they can avoid arrest by purchasing a card and reading the card number over the phone.
The Marshals say phone impostors may sound credible and provide seemingly legitimate information like badge numbers, names of actual law enforcement officials, and courthouse addresses. The agency asks victims of the phone scam to contact their local FBI office and the FTC to report the incident.
U.S. Marshals will never ask for card numbers, wire transfers or bank routing numbers, the agency says -- not for any reason. It asks the public to not divulge personal or financial information to unknown callers.
People can authenticate a call by verifying the court order with the U.S. District Court clerk if the scammer provides a court order.
