The US Marshals Service (USMS) is warning people of a new phone scam.

In the Eastern District of Milwaukee, the US Marshals are cautioning the people of a fraud phone scam that is currently running around. They want people to know about it. The scam artist is spoofing the US district office real phone number and is fooling people into sending money.

Scott Illing, Eastern District of Louisiana’s US Marshal, wants to prevent people from scam and seeks to inform them that these calls are not from the department but from a scam artist.

“This tactic is known as neighbor spoofing, where scammers using technology to modify what number appears on your caller ID to impersonate phone numbers from friends, local businesses, and in our case, law enforcement, to appear legit,” Illing stated. “Our office is receiving calls from people asking us why the U.S. Marshals are [sic] seeking money from them. We want people to know these calls are scams.”

The US Marshals are also advising people to report about the fraud calls to their local FBI office and even register a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.  The people who report can opt to stay anonymous. The Federal Trade Commission has the potential to discover patterns of scammers through the data collected and exchange the information with law enforcement. 

According to the latest release, mentions that people are receiving phone call warnings of a fine for not reporting to jury duty or violating other terms. The scammer tricks the person on the phone by saying you can avoid the fine by buying a prepaid debit card like Green Dot or a gift card or by sending it to anyone or tell the card number on the phone.

The news release also mentions that scammers give badge numbers and uses the real names of law enforcement officers and judges to fool people along with spoof numbers. On the caller ID, it looks like the scam artists are calling from a federal department.

However, US marshals have responded to it saying, the USMS will never ask people to provide card numbers or any other bank related information. People are recommended not to provide any financial related information to any unknown person. If any person receives any such call, give a call to US District Court clerk office so as to verify important order. If there is no order issued then people are then advised to report to US Marshals or the FTC.

Important Points to Consider

• US Marshals Services will not ask for any card numbers (credit, debit or gift card numbers), or transfer money or bank number.
• Don’t ever provide financial details to any stranger or unknown callers.
• Report about the scam incidence to your local FBI office and also to the FTC
• If scam artist gives a court order, then the person needs to confirm it by calling the clerk of US District court’s office of your area and examine the court order provided by the scam caller.